


Keys

by delen2000



Category: House M.D.
Genre: F/M, Long-Term Relationship(s), suprise
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-04
Updated: 2015-01-04
Packaged: 2018-03-05 10:39:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 42
Words: 34,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3117038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/delen2000/pseuds/delen2000
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cameron gets an unexpected present from House.  What will she do with it?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on fanfiction dot net. I will be editing and possibly updating as necessary.

Cameron was startled almost out of her chair when something heavy was thrown on her desk. The loud sound of something metallic hitting the glass echoed in her ears. She held a hand to her throat in a futile effort to get her breathing and heartbeat down to normal. She slowly got a hold of herself and glared up at the perpetrator.

"What the HELL was that!" She spat furiously at him.

"Well, what the HELL does it look like, Dr. Cameron?" He asked calmly.

Damn him, she thought and reached with shaking hands toward the crumpled mess in front of her. She grabbed the offending item and brought it closer for inspection. "Keys." She said softly. It was in fact three keys that she didn't recognize and a key chain in the design of a house. Mocking her, she thought grimly. "Keys?" She asked with a little more confidence.

"Very good, Cameron, those are keys. That's a desk and that's a chair. Pretty soon your gonna have the brain-damaged one beat." He twirled his cane. Her hands closed around the keys and looked at them thoughtfully.

"But, what I meant was, whose are they? What are they for? Why are you giving them to me?" Her voice got pointed and sarcastic as she went on.

"I see." He put both hands over the top of his cane's handle and leaned on it heavily. "Well, they are yours, they are for you to use, and because they are yours. Does that answer your questions?" House started for the door, leaving Cameron more bewildered then a moment before. Score one for the cripple.

"STOP!" She nearly shrieked. "Tell me what this is all about." She pointed at him and held him to the spot with her gaze. Her other hand still held the keys hostage in mid-air, hovering almost comically over her desk.

He turned slowly and sighed, leaning against the frame of the door he'd just managed to open. "The keys came from me. They are to my house; hence the 'house' key chain. They are spares and you may use them for whatever you wish in whatever fashion you choose." He explained slowly.

"B-But," Cameron stuttered out. "We aren't dating, we aren't seeing each other why would you want to give me your keys?"

"As I said, they are yours to use for whatever you wish in whatever fashion you choose. You want to come over and steal my beer, go ahead. You want to watch General Hospital, come on over. You want to strap yourself naked to my bed, be my guest."

And with that he waltzed (well... limp-waltzed) through the doorway into his office and sat down in his chair. His iPod was soon seen in his ears and his Game Boy in his hands.

Cameron was left to wonder and puzzle out the appearance of the mystery keys. She turned the heavy key chain over in her palm and read the inscription on the back. 'Alison Cameron, M.D.'

Slowly a grin began to form.


	2. Chapter 2

House sat in his office listening to his iPod and playing his handheld game. Or at least that's what it appeared he was doing. The music had stopped about a half hour ago, after the batteries had died. His game was on pause as he stared at the blank screen. All of the ducklings had left for home hours ago.

He didn't know what he was waiting for really. She might not even be there. He had lost himself in fantasies for the past couple of hours, really. Coming home to find Cameron cooking dinner, or sitting in front of the TV with Chinese take-out, or moved in even. His thoughts had progressively turned more erotic. Cameron draped naked on the couch, Cameron naked in the tub with bubbles barely covering her, and Cameron in bed with candles all around her. The problem was, all of these fantasies didn't make any of them true. Why would Cameron, a beautiful woman, young, smart, want to play 'house' with him?

This had gotten him all worked up and he found himself unable to move, unable to even get up and head home to see what was what.

He wasn't even sure that he wanted her there.

Sighing, he realized he'd thrown the ball in her court and now it was all up to her. He took the ear buds out of his ears and put the iPod and the game away in the top left hand side of his desk. He put his feet on the ground slowly and fished around beside him for his cane. He'd left it propped up next to him somewhere. He made a grand sweeping motion and finally made contact with the wooden object, making it lose its balance and topple to the carpeted floor. He leaned over in his chair to snatch it off the ground and grumbled as he straightened and heaved himself off the chair.

He made the slow walk down the empty corridors and took the elevator down to the lobby. Faster than he thought was possible he heard the ding signaling his floor and he walked out when the doors opened.

The thumps echoed in the nearly deserted parking garage. He walked over to his bike and got on, and headed for home.

He pulled into the condo's parking lot and scanned the area. Cameron's car was not there.

He sat there for a long while, and let the disappointment wash over him. He hadn't been sure but now he was. He had wanted her there. He wanted her there waiting for him. He laughed a little to himself. 'Chump!' He shook his head and ran his fingers through the thinning strands. 'Did you really think she had nothing better to do?' He grunted and got off the bike and went into his house, alone.

The lights were off and the rooms were cold. She really wasn't there.

He microwaved a frozen dinner, watched his O.C. and Spongebob Squarepants, drank three beers, took five Vicodin and played the piano for three hours. At midnight he silently limped off to his bedroom where he stripped everything off his body and slipped under the covers.

He clapped his hands and the lights went out. Wilson had gotten the Clapper to give to him as a joke, but he actually found it useful when he didn't want to get back up to turn out the lights.

He sighed and went to sleep alone.

At seven his alarm went off and he reached over to slam his hand on the offending noise, effectively turning it off. He ran his hands over his face wiping the sleep out of his eyes. He focused slowly in the dawn light that crept in through the window. Startled, he noticed a duffle bag in the middle of the room. It was dark blue, and had white straps. It was the size of a gym bag, and House had never seen it before.

He became aware of a few things.

There was an arm across his stomach and knees pressed into the backs of his legs. Warmth covered the back of him. He smelt vanilla and cinnamon. Cameron was holding him in his sleep.

And he was naked in bed.


	3. Chapter 3

Cameron is in my bed and I'm naked! His mind screamed at him. She wasn't though. He could feel the cotton of her pajamas against his skin. He could also feel the puffs of warm air on his back as she breathed in and out. He was wondering if going to bed naked had been a good or a bad idea as his body began to respond to her.

He didn't know what to do. He was awake and she was obviously awake as well. His alarm could wake the dead. He suddenly realized he was the one to do anything; the ball was now in his court. Her lob over the net was as shocking a play as his had been, he had to give her props for that.

So what to do now? They were both due into work in two hours. He had actually planned to go in an hour earlier than that. He actually needed to go over some paperwork and some other things that had been building up. Yes, he did do some responsible things once in a while. But right now he had a warm, willing somebody in his bed, and some of those daydreams from yesterday were stealing over his conscience mind. To hell with responsibility, carpe diem! After all he was her boss, if she were late because of this he'd tease her mercilessly but he'd be sure to excuse her.

He pulled his arm back and gently ran his fingertips lightly over her exposed hand and arm that was draped over his middle. He smiled as he heard her gasp and felt the skin react into goose bumps.

"Good morning, Cameron." He said in a deeper tone of voice then normal.

"Good morning, House." He suddenly wasn't sure whose ball the court was in now, was it still his serve or was it hers? His eyes widened and then closed as her hand splayed out and then brushed up his chest and brushed over his nipples. Definitely her serve…She played with his chest while her other hand swept down over his hips and played with his butt. He moaned deep in his throat.

"Do you want me to stop?" She asked into his ear. He jerked a little as her breath blew in little pants across his sensitized ear.

"Only if you want to lose your arm." He growled out and flipped over in her arms. He was about to comment that she was overdressed when he noticed that the button down men's shirt she was wearing, his shirt he'd left on the floor last night, wasn't buttoned at all. She'd lain back as he turned over and the shirt outlined her curves and accented her sex making him groan deep in his throat.

She smiled and crooked her finger at him.

"Your turn."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At the point of writing this story I did not write sex scenes, suffice it to say...they have sex.


	4. Chapter 4

Cameron was in the shower. The water was just the right temperature and it felt so good after what she'd just been up to. She turned so her back was to the spray and placed her hands on the tile, stretching out to fully enjoy the steamy goodness.

She wasn't sure she could do this when she pulled up in her car last night.

She had gone home after work, holding the keys in her hand the walk to her car, and then the walk to her apartment. She held the keys when she went to change her clothes and when she went into her kitchen to prepare dinner. They sat on her counter, mocking her, while she cooked and ate. When she pulled out her laptop and sat in front of the TV, surfing both, the faithful keys sat on her coffee table. Finally, she had closed her computer, turned off the TV and the lights, snatched the happy keys off the low table and headed off to her car. She muttered to herself all the way.

She arrived at his condo at around 11, the lights were still on and the piano was being played. Sighing, she started her car back up and went around the block a couple times, puzzling out what she should do.

When she pulled up the second time, the lights were out. She glanced at the clock in her car, 12:30. She parked and got out of the car. With legs like rubber, she approached the door and slid the key soundlessly into the lock. She let herself in.

She wondered what he had up his sleeve, what his plans were, and what had brought this on, mainly. Then she found she didn't care. Allison wanted Greg and Greg gave her an open invitation. Whatever his reasons, whatever his motivation, she had her chance; she was going to take it. He had given her keys. Permanent keys. They didn't dissolve on contact or blow up after use, and they were a symbol to her that he was serious about starting something, whatever that may be.

She made her way into the bedroom and paused in the doorway. In the bed was House. On the floor were his clothes. Now, she reasoned to herself, he could be wearing boxers or sleep pants. But the outline of the sheet didn't leave much leeway, so she concluded that he was naked under there. She took a step forward and the bag she was carrying slid forward and hit the doorframe. She startled and waited. When she was confident he wasn't awake, she went to the middle of the room and sat down the bag carefully. She picked the blue shirt he had worn earlier that day off the floor and held it to her face, taking in the scent of him.

She changed quickly into the shirt and nothing else and then went to button it. Her fingers stopped and she smiled to herself, letting the shirt gap open. She could be just as shocking as he could be when she put her mind to it. This way if he found her, before she could wake up, there would be no doubt as to what she was doing there.

She turned around in the shower and turned the knobs off, and reached out for the towel she had brought in with her. She knew they would have to talk. She sighed and stepped out of the shower and dressed out of the bag she had brought in with her also.

A few minutes later, a blown dry, fully dressed and ready for work Cameron emerged and went down the hallway to see about breakfast. She went past House, who was sitting at his piano, staring at the keys.

"I need coffee before I even attempt this, House." She said softly before walking into the kitchen to start the coffee maker.

"Ok." He agreed and went back to his musings to pass the time till she got back. Five minutes went by and she was sitting next to him at the piano, a cup of coffee in each hand. They slowly sipped the hot beverage, savoring the way the cup was made perfectly to their individual tastes. He sat his down and turned to her. "I want a relationship…. with you." Then he got up and left the room, step thumping down the hallway to his bedroom to get ready for work.

Alison stared after him in shock and continued to stare for a long while. Then slowly she went back to sipping her coffee, a mad grin resting on her features.


	5. Chapter 5

"What the freakin' HELL was that!?" Cameron threw at him, as well as the file and pen in her hands. The file slid across the glass surface and stopped, hanging precariously off the edge. The only thing keeping it from toppling over was the fact that all the contents had spilled out gradually along the way. The pen, however, crashed into the tabletop and ricocheted off House's chest. The stunned look on his face was enough for her to burst out laughing, if she wasn't so pissed off.

"It seemed like a good idea at the time?" House offered cautiously.

"It did, did it?" Cameron leaned over the table, menacingly. "I'll give you eleven seconds to come up with a hell of an apology, explanation, or UFO disturbance that would cause you to act in such a way to me, or by the heavens in the sky, you are gonna wish for the earth to shallow you whole!" Cameron straightened up and crossed her arms waiting.

"I don't apologize, you know that." House tried to reason with her.

"I don't care if you do! You have got to realize that some things are not ok and I need verification that you realize that, or this is over!" She regretted the words as they flew out of her mouth, but knew that she had to stand by them, or he would see that she wasn't and he wouldn't take her seriously, and she needed him to take her seriously.

They had dated for a month. It had gone well. She had basically moved in to his condo, even had her own closet. Everyone knew they were together, and nobody cared. Neither of them acted any differently, so nobody found it a problem till today. She didn't know what had gotten into him, if he was trying to see how far he could push her or what, but he certainly found out.

It started with the differential that morning. Seven-year-old with a bunch of symptoms that didn't make any sense. Everyone threw their ideas in. All were rejected in due course with the usual amount of snark thrown in. Until he got to her, that is. Then everyone heard, "Well, she came up with that because she was up too late last night giving me great head. Overachiever that one." Her favorite had to be, of the six or so barbs tossed her way, "Ouch! Sitting like that, after what we did, must be painful! How did you get your legs to cross over after that?" That was extreme House, but not unexpected. He hadn't ever been that cruel to her since they started their relationship, so she hadn't been prepared. THEN he grabbed her boob as she walked by, when everyone else could see him do it. Everyone had cleared out of the room, and, she was sure, the floor as well.

Now he was starting to at least look sorry.

"Cam." He started and then stopped. "The clenching thing…stop with the clenching." He gestured to her arms and came around the table slowly. She slowly let her arms fall to her sides. "I shouldn't have done any of it, and it won't happen again."

She waited, and when it was clear that was all he was going to say, she gave a slow nod in his direction. "You shouldn't need to hurt me so badly." She said.

"I don't know what happens. I'm missing a switch or something."

"Funny, but not good enough." She said sadly.

His hand came up to her face and cupped the side. She let him. He smiled softly at her. "I know. Nothing like this will ever happen again, I promise." He swore.

She looked him dead in the eye. "If it ever does, I'm gone. I will quit and that will be that. I won't wait for apologies and promises. I will leave you and that will be it, understand?"

He nodded his consent.

"Good. I am going to spend the rest of the day in the lab or in the clinic. I really don't want to see you the rest of the day." House looked somewhat fearful at her announcement. "But I will see you at your house tonight." His face lightened at that and he nodded.

He watched her walk out the door without giving him a backwards glance. He sighed. It was going to be a long day.


	6. Chapter 6

She rushed home, pausing only for red lights, as she wound her way in and out of traffic.

She parked and ran up to the door, panting as she let herself in.

She cut a path across House's living room and catapulted herself over the couch and grabbed the remote out of his hand while simultaneously landing neatly on a cushion next to him. She flipped to the correct channel and her show's beginning credits rolled across the screen.

House sighed and looks at her.

"American Chopper again?"


	7. Chapter 7

Cameron had been having a good day. The weather had been a harsh fall day, wind whipping about and a perpetual light rain that had hung on for days, but she saw none of that. She was happy and nothing was standing in her way. She'd had almost no traffic on the way to work, a great parking place, and somebody had actually made good coffee before she got to House's office.

Amazing how fast things can change, she thought, as she stared out into the murky day.

Cuddy had asked them into her office, House and her, slightly before lunch. The meeting had started out well. Well, uhmmm, well in the sense, where you don't know what the meeting was about and where it was going. Well, in the way, where House and Cuddy are snipping back and forth about nothing for half an hour, while she was left to roll her eyes or nod along.

And then the main reason for the meeting had been dropped like a lead balloon, or a hot potato, or one of those things you don't want to hold onto.

Her jaw had dropped and she looked at House who wore the same expression. She could have laughed if she hadn't felt like her whole world had tipped over on its axis. Gradually, the shock faded and the anger set in, and she was now, many minutes later, staring out the window, in her classic 'clench' position, trying to keep from leaping out of her chair and strangling Cuddy.

She obviously had not been paying any attention, because the next thing she felt was House, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her to his side, as much as the chairs would allow.

She looked around in shock, noticing that Cuddy had left. She looked to House for an explanation.

"She left, to give us time to think about it." He said simply.

She huffed and pushed herself to her feet, pacing the floor to the window. The gray sky seemed to collapse downward as the clouds folded over one another in a silent ballet. She longed to go where they were going, anywhere but here.

"I see I don't have to ask you, how you feel about this…." He trailed off.

She relaxed her posture and leaned on the windowpane, the condensation cooling her face. "I'm not sure how to feel." She admitted.

"You are mad, though." He observed.

"Yes." She sighed and turned to him, "What are you going to do?"

"What do you want me to do?"

She rolled her eyes, "What are you going to do?" She asked pointedly. No matter what she thought, he was going to do what he wanted anyway. She walked to her chair and towered over him, waiting for his answer.

"I'm leaning towards it." He said carefully, glancing up at her. She huffed again and flopped into her chair, on the verge of tears.

"What will this do to us?" She forced out. This is what she was truly mad about. Cuddy hadn't made her move when he was single; she'd waited a long time. She and House had been together almost four months and were doing really well and this didn't seem fair.

"Why couldn't Cuddy have just gotten an anonymous donor, like everybody else?" She whined, finally letting the tears fall. House handed her a handkerchief and leaned close, swiping a hand over his face.

"Because, I, like an idiot, told her a year ago to find somebody she liked and knew instead of some stranger." He said with a wry chuckle.

At this Cameron started to laugh, hard and without any control. "And she picked you!?" She gasped. She held her sides trying to get the guffaws to die down. House looked at her in mild hurt till he considered the thought, and broke out in laughter along side her. They roared with laughter till they were weak and their faces hurt.

Cuddy opened her door to this scene, and stood in the doorway in utter bewilderment.

House hauled himself up, still laughing, and brought Cameron up beside him, by her arm. He walked toward Cuddy, dragging a helpless Cameron in tow, paused in front of the baffled woman and declared, "We'll do it!" Then he promptly pushed past her, and went down the hallway, Cameron and him laughing manically all the way.


	8. Chapter 8

Cuddy clicked her nails on the glass table and waited patiently.

Cameron stared at her from across the table, with her arms folded over her chest, and a scowl across her face.

House mirrored Cameron's posture without realizing what he was doing, and Cameron smirked inwardly to herself. A long ago conversation popped into her head, 'When you clench I clench.'

Nervously, Cuddy went on to explain the document lying in front of them. "As, I've said, you would only donate, and I would raise him or her, and you would have no contact with him or her, unless I think it's ok. If you sign this, you give up all parental rights."

House nodded. "I never wanted to be a father, I still don't. But I do want to ask why you asked me?"

Cuddy sighed. "You told me to pick out somebody I would actually date. The only person I would have even considered out of everyone I knew was you. You are loyal, a genius and not bad looking. Plus, you have a dangerous quality I would be drawn to. However," she hurriedly said, as he gave her a somewhat interested look, "I actually would never actually date you. You are too cynical, too mean, and too much work. Cameron can have you. But I want your genes." She looked curiously at House. "Why did you say yes?"

House relaxed his position. "I don't know. We've been friends a long time. I'm just giving you some genetic material. I am not going to be a role model, or a daddy, not really, so it didn't seem like such a big deal. You wouldn't ask me unless you were sure."

She nodded at this, chewing on her bottom lip.

"Where do I sign?"

Cuddy pointed to the line and he signed the paper.

She picked it off the table and stuck it in a manila envelope, with a big coded label on it, and the word confidential stamped on the side. House got up and left the room abruptly, leaving Cuddy to stare confusedly at his hasty departure.

Cameron broke into her thoughts, "That was a pretty crappy thing you did." She said bitterly.

Cuddy's eyes snapped to the very angry eyes of Alison Cameron.

"I spent years being in love with House. Years hoping he'd finally see the light and want to be with me. And he finally did. He finally wanted to be with me. He finally wanted me. We are happy. We are working out. And then you come up with THIS!" Cameron's eyes flashed in anger, and Cuddy pulled back in her chair. "Why? What did I ever do to you?"

"I-I didn't really think much about you." Cuddy admitted slowly, cautiously.

"Exactly, and no matter what I want, he's going to do what he wants, which is to help you."

"Well, what's wrong with that?" Cuddy asked.

Cameron stood up suddenly and started for the door. "It's wrong because it interferes with our relationship. If House had been single there would be no question of him helping you out. But he's in a relationship and this is going to affect me as well." She yanked open the door, in a fury. "I can never forgive you for this." With that, she walked out.

Cuddy finished putting her papers away, and slowly got to her feet. This was going to be a long few months.


	9. Chapter 9

Cameron sat on the couch next to House watching "The O.C." She idly traced patterns on his arm, while studying his face.

"This is how it's always going to be isn't it." She remarked bitterly. She could kick herself for starting a conversation that was going to go nowhere. He glanced down at her in surprise, and then hit the pause on his Tivo.

"This is how what's going to be?" House focused on her, asking carefully.

"You are going to make whatever decisions you want to, with no thought to me." She folded her arms loosely over her chest and leaned her head on his shoulder.

"Pretty much." He affirmed. "You knew that, though." He pointed out, putting an arm around her shoulder.

"Yes." She blew out air, making the word slightly hiss out. "But it doesn't make it any easier to take."

"No, I wouldn't think that it would." He waited a beat. "I am not changing my mind to help Cuddy. Think of all the clinic hours I can get out of, alone." He squeezed her shoulder, and her mouth quirked up in the corner. "I will probably never consult you before doing something. It's not in my nature and I am unlikely to change now. Besides," he turned her face to look at him, "you weren't gong to change me."

"I don't know if I can do this…" she trailed off.

"If you can't, fine, get out." She didn't take offense. She knew he meant out of the situation. "But you're either in or your out, and you have to figure out what you are willing to put up with."

"I'm in." She said suddenly. "I can't promise never to disagree or to never fight with you about this type of stuff, but I know I'm in. It just hurts." Her voice was small.

"I don't want to lose you, but you need to be sure. I am not going to make plans and rely on you, to find out in five months that you weren't adult enough to handle a serious relationship." He muttered. "I don't want children, I don't want a wife, but I do want you." He admitted.

Cameron grinned a little at the situation. He doesn't want children, but him having a child started this whole discussion! She thought wryly. He considers it Cuddy's child and not his own. She thought about everything, House's attitude, Cuddy and herself. She came to the conclusion that House would be House, Cuddy's child would be Cuddy's, and that she wanted to be with House.

"I want you too."

He smiled and kissed her. The kiss went straight to her toes and made her stomach tingle. House pressed the play button and they went back to watching "The O.C."


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note: I am not sure about this one, it's a good idea in theory, but in practice I'm not sure how it turned out. Let me know OK? Oh, and something else, I had a chapter a few back where House is downright mean to Cameron and I never explained why. Well basically because House is an ass and Cameron calls him on it. In my story, House was an ass and Cameron calls him on it. He is often an ass for no reason, especially if he totally crosses the line as he does here. I know it seems unfair, but I wanted to be as true to the characters as I could get. So here is fair warning, it might happen again, we never know with House, do we?

House sat in his desk chair tossing his oversized tennis ball at the glass wall. He was deep in thought, but had still managed to notice that Cameron had left the diagnostic room several minutes ago.

A few months ago, they were shopping when Cameron spotted a motorcycle helmet for herself and bought it. She insisted on it, because she didn't want to ride with him until she had her very own, instead of the unsafe practice he had of just loaning her his. He would have thought she would have picked out a girlie color like pink or purple. To his surprise, she actually picked blue, the exact shade of his dream shirt. (reference: the shirt she wore to bed the very first night)

This morning, her helmet was missing from its place next to his. This had left him a bit puzzled. She had left in her car that morning, before he had even drunk his coffee. Not only that, but she was wearing a skirt, not pants, and she refused to ride with him when she wore a skirt.

Wilson walked in just then, robbing him of any further thought.

"So what's up?"

House looked up. "Nothing much. The ceiling, the light, and you're up. Why are you so freakishly tall anyway?" House looked at him inquisitively.

"I only look 'freakishly' tall because you are sitting. Had you been standing, you would actually be taller than me."

"Really?" House hauled himself up and stood on tiptoes. Well, as well as he could using one foot. "You could be right." He lowered his heel back down to the floor and put the ball on his desk. Then he picked up his cane and motioned with his hand at Wilson. "Come with me." House turned on his heel and started limping for the door to the balcony.

"Why are we going out here?"

"I want to go bird watching." House explained loftily, and went out the door, walked to the balcony railing and leaned his elbows on it, looking down.

Wilson rolled his eyes and mimicked House's actions.

Minutes rolled by and House made no attempt at conversation, so Wilson tried again. "What are we really doing out here?"

"We are seeing how long it takes Cameron to figure out what the extra key I put on her key chain is for." House explained as though Wilson should already know this vital piece of info.

"When did you put the key on it?"

"Three days ago. I am thinking that today is the day."

"What makes you think that?"

"Well, during sex last night, when she was on her knees she-" Wilson put a desperate hand on his friend's arm to stop him. House looked at the hand and waited.

"Stop, please, I am begging you. I have to work with this woman. I don't need to be having fantasies about her in the shower while jerking off."

House whipped around to look at his friend square on and then realized he'd been had. The incident where Wilson had threatened to ask Cameron out sprang immediately to mind, and he had felt unsure and jealous. Wilson wouldn't ask Cameron out, he was sure, but he knew that Wilson could try one day and succeed. He wasn't sure what it was about his friend, but women were attracted to him. It scared him just a little.

"Whoa!" Wilson tried to calm his friend down, who had seemed to take his words a little too seriously. "Calm down. I have no intention of ever doing anything with Cameron. Bros before Hos, remember?" Wilson smiled, what he hoped was a reassuring smile. House nodded and they went back to staring off the edge of the balcony.

Below them a woman stepped out of the hospital doors, carrying a blue helmet in her hand. She was wearing low rider jeans and a white tank top with a jean jacket over that. Her hair was down and flowing and designer sunglasses adorned her nose. She walked over to his bike and confidently slung a leg over the seat. She situated her body until she was comfortable and then tossed her hair back and slid the helmet over the brown tresses. She adjusted the strap and then put the key into the ignition. Even from his perch above her, he could see the key chain he'd given her reflecting in the sun. Meanwhile, Wilson was just catching on to the fact that Cameron was stealing his friend's bike.

"You gave her the keys to your bike?" He asked incredulously.

"Yep."

"Does she even know how to drive?"

"Yep."

At this Wilson straightened up and folded his arms over his chest. House sighed and rubbed his hands over his face. Then he watched as Cameron fired up the bike and took off slowly.

"Her brother had a bike when she was younger and he taught her how to ride. They used to take turns riding his bike all over their parent's farm." House explained, and then winced a little as Cameron wobbled. She added a little gas and straightened out. Then she aimed at the exit and took off. House and Wilson watched where she'd been seconds ago for a while and then turned to go back in.

"Whatever made you think to give her that key?" Wilson asked skeptically.

" A friend told me once that she likes lame."

"Lame is flowers, candy, back massages...lame is not a 20,000 dollar crotch rocket, that you've never once offered to let me drive." Wilson stated, mildly hurt.

"True," House nodded and then stopped, "what kind of back massages are you getting that are lame?" He wondered out loud, as he pulled open the door.

"Well, I was referring to the ones you give just to get some sex." Wilson explained.

House chuckled. "Then you're not doing something right!" And let the door slam in Wilson's face.


	11. Chapter 11

"Why are we watching this?"

"Because I love this movie."

"How can you love this?

"It's a classic. What's not to love?"

"It's so unrealistic."

"C'mon now. It's not that bad."

"Yes, it is."

"No, its not.

"Fine. Tell me what it's about again."

"What?! No, I'm trying to watch."

"Please?"

"No."

"Maybe I'll like it if you explain it to me in the way only you can."

"That's not gonna work."

"You didn't even try."

"It didn't work the last time."

"C'mon!"

"FINE!" Glares. "These two women are sisters and everyone is trying to marry them off. One of them is sensible and calm about choosing who she likes and the other just throws caution to the wind. What do you think?"

"I think I want to watch American Choppers."

"Told you."

"Well, I do. It's the one where that guy gets mad and then they almost don't make the deadline."

"You've just described every episode of American Choppers."

"Shut up."

"Could you just let me watch this?"

"It's not a classic, you know. It was only made a few years ago."

"I know, but the book is a classic. You've read the book, right?"

Shakes head no.

"How could you not have read the book? Besides, this version is awesome. Emma Thompson kicks ass. The scene at the end where she finds out he's not married and they all just get up and walk out - it's too cool."

"If you say so."

"And this guy on the screen here, Mr. Palmer, he's hilarious."

"He's an ass.

"Well you should love him then."

"Ha, ha."

"It's just so antiquated and stupid. Why should these women sit around and let the guy make the first move? What does that accomplish?"

"Well it worked for you, didn't it?" House said as he turned to look at Cameron, who was snuggled into his side on the couch.

She slid her hand into her pocket and caressed the keys residing there. "I suppose it did."

She cuddled up closer and watched the rest of the movie with House.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: All right. Who figured it out? Raise your hands! LOL!


	12. Chapter 12

Wilson and House entered the cafeteria and headed to the food line. Wilson grabbed a coffee and a salad, while House ordered his Rueben, dry, no pickles.

"So, you'll never guess whose two months pregnant." Wilson said conspiratorially, as he sidled up to House to wait for his order. He stirred sugar and cream into his coffee.

"Who?" House took his sandwich from the server and headed over to the soda machines. "One of your ex-wives?" House filled a large cup with cola and put a lid and straw on. He then limped over to the chip rack, Wilson trailing him.

"Noooooo," Wilson dragged out the word, trying to build suspense. "Cuddy." He said triumphantly.

House became very interested in the multitude of chips at his disposal. "I didn't know she was seeing anybody." He hoped he sounded casual as he picked out a bag of Fritos and limped towards and then past the cashier.

Wilson sighed, and then hurried over to the cashier, to pay for both of them. He accepted his change and headed over to the table House was now sitting at. At Wilson's disapproving look, House grabbed his leg, and winced. "Sorry, leg is killing me today. I just had to sit down." Wilson let his tray fall to the tabletop and sat down in the chair across from House.

"She isn't seeing anybody." Wilson explained and took a sip of coffee, swallowing quickly to continue. "At the board meeting, last night, she told us everything, since she will have to take a leave of absence for a few months to have the baby." He sat his cup down and opened packet after packet of Italian salad dressing to pour over his huge salad. "Apparently," he started, leaning towards House, eyebrows rising, letting his body language tell House he was about to drop some huge information. "It's a donor's. She did this by in-vitro." Satisfied that he had relinquished all the juicy gossip, Wilson settled back in his chair and picked up his plastic fork and proceeded to mix up his salad with it. When he thought it was perfect, he raised it to his lips.

House waited until he had gotten the forkful fully in his mouth and then said, "Is it yours?" He then grabbed his soda and took a long drink out of the straw, watching unconcernedly at Wilson choking on his food.

Between coughing fits, Wilson managed out, "NO!" His voice was rough, but he was no longer coughing when he tried again, "Is it yours?"

House didn't answer but instead took a huge bite of his Rueben, and chewed slowly. Wilson sighed, thinking he was being played, and refused to bite, instead deciding to sip at his coffee.

House swallowed and leaned in, "This could get interesting. I wonder how much bigger the twins can get!"

House smiled as Wilson laughed. He was glad to hear some laughter today. He certainly wasn't going to get any out of Cameron later that day.

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Cuddy was filing with her back to the door when House shoved the door open rudely and loudly, starling her and causing her to jump and throw her file into the air. The file soared upwards, shooting the contents up above it like a fountain and spilling the contents to the floor in a messy circle around her.

She GLARED at House, who merely shrugged and sat down.

She bent over and snatched at the wayward file, gathering the contents at random, while talking to House at the same time.

"What do you want?" she asked, clearly irritated.

He placed his cane over his knees and smirked at her. "I think you know."

She slowed her movements slightly and picked up the last of the papers. She straightened and pushed her hair out of her face, trying desperately not to look guilty. He shook his head at her in mock disapproval and she conceded defeat by sitting quickly in her chair and biting the side of her lower lip. She carefully lowered the mess in her arms to her desk and started to carefully sort the file back into order.

"Were you planning to tell me?" He asked in a neutral tone.

"Well, in a way I did tell you. Anything I tell James goes straight to you." She reasoned with a smile.

"Cute, and true, but not good enough." House responded.

She managed to get the file situated away and put it to the side. She folded her hands in front of her and focused on him. "Does Cameron know yet?"

"I don't know. I haven't seen her since Jimmy told me at lunch."

"Do –" She stopped, chewing her lip again. "Do you want me to tell her?"

"No."

She nodded. He would handle it how it saw it was best.

"You should take the rest of the week off." She offered.

He eyed her critically. "Are you afraid of Cameron or of me?"

She smiled a real smile. "Probably both."

"I will take you up on it." House said as he got up and headed for the door.

His hand was on the door, when he heard Cuddy call to him softly, "House?" He turned. "I was going to tell you."

"I know, but it's still not good enough." House said and then left, leaving Cuddy to think over the whole situation.

MDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMMDMDMMDMMDM

House looked all over the hospital for her. He looked in the cafeteria, the lab, his office, the diagnostic room, the roof, Wilson's office, the woman's showers, and the children's ward. He went to immunology and was leaving when he noticed a woman's bathroom on the other side of the hall. He limped down and knocked on the door loudly with his cane and got no answer. Taking this to mean there was no one in there that would mind him in there, he walked in. He walked down the row of stalls to the last one where a lab coat peeked out. He pushed lightly on the door and found Cameron sitting next to the toilet, crying softly, and hugging her knees to her chest.

She knew.


	13. Chapter 13

House sat at his desk listening to his iPod and leaning back in his chair, when Cameron walked in. She shook the rain out of her hair in an exaggerated nature, and flopped down on his desk next to his extended legs. She reached forward and pulled the ear buds out of his ears, getting his attention, as he was devoutly trying to ignore her.

"I just spent two hours in the rain." She said with a smile, folding her hands and planting them firmly on her soaked gray wool pants. He didn't even glance at her, just picked up his Nintendo DS and began playing whatever was on it. "Do you want to know WHY I spent two hours in the rain?" She asked, leaning forward.

"Not really." He stuck his tongue out the corner of his mouth in concentration.

"I didn't think so, but let me tell you anyway. I went home to get some things I forgot last time I was there last week, and my key didn't work! So I had to find a neighbor who had a phone so I could call the Super. I left my phone at your condo, as you recall." She leaned back, gesturing to him as she did so, and slapped her hand on her thigh. He remained fixated on his game, going so far to lift it up like a barrier between them. She went on undeterred. "Finally, I found somebody and they let me in after much encouragement. 'Cause I've been basically living at your house for the last nine months so he didn't know me. He had the number for the super and I called...and do you know what the super said?" She batted her eyes and leaned sideways in his general direction. No response. She straightened back up and continued. "He said, I didn't live there anymore!"

At this he finally said something, "That's what happens when you don't pay your rent."

"Ah, but I did, at least I was sure I had. You see, I have an account just for my rent and they pull it directly out of that account every month. So, I asked him why he thought I didn't live there. Do you know what he said?"

"He said, 'Your boyfriend said you wanted to move out' when he called you earlier last month. Or at least something like that. Am I right?" House replied as he laid down his game, sighing.

"That's exactly what he said! So I spent the next few minutes trying to figure out where my stuff was and then I locked my keys in the car and then it started to pour. I am not happy House." Cameron sighed and folded her arms.

"I can see that."

"Where is my stuff?"

"Some of its at our house, some of its in storage along with the extra stuff from my things."

"Your things?"

"Well I had to make room for your stuff. Everything wasn't going to fit, so sacrifices had to be made."

Cameron got up and started to walk away, she needed to think. House's hand came out of nowhere and grabbed her by the elbow.

"No, stay." He said softly. "I want you to stay."

Her back was to him as she answered, "I'm trying to decide if this is the most romantic thing you've ever done, or the most selfish." He tugged her down into his lap.

She tried to resist at first, "your leg…"

"Will be fine, come 'ere." He noticed that she managed to put most of her weight on his good leg. He smiled against her hair, and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"I guess I better go for romantic, I've had a miserable day, having a miserable night isn't going to make me feel any better." Cameron reasoned as House began to put kisses along her neck. His hands began to wander when he suddenly stopped.

"Geez, you really are soaked to the skin aren't you?'' He could feel the dampness seeping into his clothes.

She chuckled low in her throat, and stood up. She held out her hand to him and he took it, letting her help him up. "Let's go home, to our house. I want to take a hot shower and eat warm food."

Without another word they walked out together. All the way home House had a slight upturned look on his face that could be best described as a smirk.


	14. Chapter 14

She walked in first and looked around at her new "home". She stared in awe at all the little and big changes all around her. Obviously House had been very busy earlier that day. He'd been missing for several hours that morning and into the afternoon, but that was nothing where Housian behavior was concerned.

"This is where you were all morning." She stated. He came up beside her and motioned around.

"I wasn't exactly sure what you wanted to keep here and what you wanted to store, so I just kinda went the practical route. Your couch is newer and slightly bigger so it stayed, mine went. Your coffee maker is nicer and so on." He explained. Today was the last day before the Super was going to rent out the apartment so I had to move the stuff today. I just hadn't realized you were also planning on going to the apartment today." He sighed.

Cameron walked around the space touching and looking at everything. He'd done a good job, everything looked like it belonged. She came to a stop behind the piano, against the wall. She reached out and touched her treadmill stand, which was now located in the corner.

"That was the hardest thing to find a spot for. I insisted on it though. You won't have to use the ones at work anymore, so it'll make your day a little easier." He further explained.

She saw what he meant as she looked closer at the piano. It was now pushed all the way over by the wall to allow plenty of room for access to both pieces of furniture.

She then headed to the bedroom, House at her heels. Along the way she noticed the pictures from her house lined the hallway walls. She made no mention of it, just kept going. When she walked into the bedroom, she stopped a few steps in and House came to a halt beside her. She was completely puzzled.

He'd moved the bed to accommodate her bedside table. Her dresser was added next to his. She was sure that if she looked in the closet, the crate masquerading as a storage compartment would be gone, and all of her personal items would be put neatly away. Which didn't explain why a pile of clothing lay on the floor by her feet. Her blue silk shirt, gray-blue pantsuit –vest, slacks, jacket-, tan stockings and matching blue underwear and bra all piled in a crumpled heap on the floor.

He noticed her confusion and started to talk as he walked over to the bed and sat down facing her. He threw his cane on the bed behind him. "Do you remember the day I gave you that set of keys?" She nodded and silently reaching into her coat pocket fingering them. Since that day, they she never went anywhere without them. "The day before, you wore this outfit." He gestured to the clothing between them. "And I suddenly realized how hot you looked." Cameron took a deep breath at this. "Librarian hot." He clarified. "Your clothes were perfectly arranged, your hair properly pulled back from your face and your glasses sat on your nose mocking any disorder around you. I wanted more than anything right then, to have these clothes crumpled up at the foot of my bed." He stopped and looked right at her.

"Was it just sex?" She asked softly. She wasn't mad yet, he noticed.

"I thought it was. I went and got those keys made and thought you would get the hint and be there when I got home. You are pretty smart," he teased, "but when I got home, not a creature was stirring, except Steve, of course. I realized then how much I wanted you here, not just for sex, but here." He cocked his head at her thoughtfully. "You never did tell me why you showed up that night." He waited.

She looked at him like she was finally putting pieces into place. She finally smiled. "No…I never did." She stepped out of her pumps and walked forward, sweeping the clothing aside with a foot and came to a stop right in front of him, resting her palms on his shoulders. "I realized that it was my final chance to be with you, in any capacity. If I still wanted to try, this was it. You were worth it and I still wanted to try."

"Oh, You!" He pointed at her face, looking at her askance. "It's all about sex with you, isn't it?" He said breaking the tension.

She started to laugh and pushed his shoulders, forcing him back on the bed. "Right now? Yes, it is!" She growled at him and straddled him.

On the floor another set of clothes joined House's dream pile.


	15. Chapter 15

Cameron sat in the townhouse curled up in the corner of the living room. The gas fireplace was on, flames licking the fake wood, and casting shadows on the darkened room. She sat on the floor wearing only a white men's undershirt, and staring into the faux flames. She enjoyed the heat that burst out of it and thought about the strange effect a fire has on the body, making the parts facing the fire overly hot and the parts facing away overly cold.

She reached out and grabbed the set of keys House had given her off of the nearby table. She held them in front of her, looking at all the misshapen metal, and thought about what they meant to her. Each key was symbolic of something else, like a key, if you will, to their relationship. Each key represented something, in her mind. The key to the house was the key to his heart. It takes love and trust for someone to give you their house key. The key to his storage area was the key to his secrets. People kept things they never wanted anybody else to ever see in those. The key to the motorcycle was the key to fun and friendship. He understood her, knew things about her, and wanted her to have fun. The key to the sports car was the key to his dark side. He'd gotten that key as a bribe, more or less. It represented what he was willing to do, the extremes he would seek without a further thought, without discussing them with anybody. Their whole relationship was on a key ring, held together by a fragile thin twisted piece of metal.

She could sometimes feel people try to pull off one of the keys, as one would do if they were dropping off their car at the dealership for repairs. She felt that Cuddy, for instance, had tried to pull off the house key, taking the trust away from the relationship. She had felt jealous and betrayed. Incredibly betrayed. She needed to sit down and scream and cry and throw a fit for awhile, and then she was fine. She had gotten up and washed her face, repaired her lamp and realized some things.

Wilson and Cuddy would ALWAYS come first, and she needed to decide if she wanted to be third. She knew it would hurt always to be left out of their little club and maybe one day she would be let into it, but she knew also what it felt like to be left out completely by House, and she wanted what ever he gave her. Then she needed to sit down and cry some more because of how desperate that made her feel. How needy. To the untrained eye it looked like she gave and gave and gave and he sucked her dry. But she knew he gave a lot, as much as he could let himself, and maybe one day she'd have access to everything. She felt loved and needed now, if he gave her everything, she could only feel more, in her mind. So she sat in front of this fake fire tracing each key, rubbing her fingers over the rough edges. She thought about how much he had given her with these.

The man in question came in the door just then and took in the sight before him. Cameron sitting on the floor, curled up. Her knees were up at her chin, arms curled around them, and those keys held in her palms. She was examining them, playing with each one. She had a serene look on her face, and the man's undershirt she wore flowed over her form, stopping at her hips and bunching up where her thighs came up. He smiled to himself and hung up his coat and limped over to the piano directly behind her.

He played for her only for her, and he sang too, something almost no one had heard him do. He never sang when anybody was here, only for Cameron. 

He looked over to the fireplace and saw her leaning back, enjoying the music. He thought of her as he played, noting the similar feelings he had for Cameron in the song. He saw her as an angel and him as the devil. The chorus especially sounded like him, he loved to hear her say his name. He observed her as he played, watching her sway to the music and mouth the words. He wanted her closer to him. He wanted to put his arms around her and hear her whisper into his ear. He decided to get a little more personal, see if he could get her to come over to him. 

As he played, he saw her put down the keys and set her legs down on the floor. She turned slightly to him and he could see the look she gave him. He thought carefully and started to play again. The song was melancholy and meaningful. He put his heart and soul into the lyrics and each note, wanting her to realize how much he cared for her, even though he couldn't ever tell her.

She came over and sat beside him and held him close. She would always know exactly what he meant and what he needed. Always.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heavily, Heavily edited from the original.


	16. Chapter 16

Cameron sighed and stared at the seven months pregnant lady who she now hated with every fiber of her being. No one knew that Cuddy was carrying House's baby, so no one would understand why she was pissed. So Cameron laughed and smiled, passed out punch and played stupid shower games with the rest of the female staff at Cuddy's baby shower.

Truth be told, Cameron had never liked showers. She hated Bunko with a passion, thought the ribbon-breaking thing to be stupidly superstitious and wanted to have nothing to do with the ridiculous hat upon her head. Inwardly she sulked as she realized the photo Sally just got of her with a gigantic rattle hat on her head with pink and blue streamers flowing down the sides, and chocolate icing smeared across her cheek, was going to somehow wind up in House's hands.

She was wondering HOW exactly she had wound up in this room, with these women, when all she wanted to do was go home with House and curl up in a nice bubble bath. She sighed again and finally located a napkin to wipe off her face.

Camera flashes bounced all over the room as Cuddy opened gift after gift. Cameron tried to shrink into a corner, any corner, and disappear from sight.

Suddenly, her beeper went off and she pulled it from her belt, reviewing the message. 'Roof Now'. She carefully schooled her features to not give herself away and rose to her feet, clearing the message and replacing the pager to her side.

"I'm sorry I have to go now, Lisa." Cameron said to a distracted Cuddy, "Duty calls!" She explained as she made her way to the door and from there to the roof. Cuddy gave a sad smile and waved her off.

MDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMD

He leaned against the brick exterior, twirling his cane and waiting patiently for her arrival. As the door clicked open, he turned toward the sound and saw Cameron run from the doorway and throw herself into his arms, kissing him passionately.

"My hero." She said softly, when she parted from him.

"Well, I knew you didn't want to go, so, I thought saving might be in order." She cuddled into his side, reminding him of a frightened child. This made him wonder. His Cameron didn't back down, didn't get scared easily. "Why does this bother you so much? Nothing has changed between us."

She thought to herself, burying deeper into his chest. Nothing had changed. He didn't treat her any differently, and neither did Cuddy. It irked her, she realized, that Cuddy had a bond, a tie with House. No matter what happened or where they were, they would have a child together. Whether they acknowledged that they had a baby together or not, it would be there.

"I don't know, I thought I would be over this, but it's hard for me. Really, you don't spend any more time with her than you did before. I guess I'm just jealous that she gets a part of you, I'll never have."

He grabbed her elbow and pulled her so she was facing him. "What do you mean by that?"

"She comes first, I understand." Cameron let her head lower and her gaze fall to his cane.

House shook he head in amazement at self-sacrificing Cameron. "Well, of course she does, that's why I live, sleep with, and share a life with you, cause Cuddy comes first."

Cameron's head popped up and looked at him questioningly. He looked hurt and his tone dripped with sarcasm, trying to hide what he truly felt. "No games." She said softly.

He looked away for a moment, thinking. He dropped her elbow and grabbed his cane pushing away from her and paced a little. Then he stopped right in front of her and bent low, so that they were almost nose-to-nose. "No games." He agreed.

Cameron thought hard about this. If she asked, there would be no turning back, and she really didn't feel like crying for the next month, finding a new job, and a new place to live. She looked at him in indecision, chewing her bottom lip.

"I won't crush you." He said softly.

"Where do I stand?"

The bomb dropped and Cameron waited for it to blow.

"You come first."

"If I come first, then why do I not get consulted in the things you do?"

His lips quirked up at that. "Actually, remember, 'Everybody Lies.' I didn't realize till you said that that you don't come first. I do, then you, then Wilson and then Cuddy."

Cameron rolled her eyes; it was all so true. "I can live with that."

"So, no more of this?"

"What, no more Cameron, Pity Party of One?" House nodded at her question. "No, I think the party got cancelled at the last minute." She grinned at him.

"Good, cause we've got eighteen years of this, and this was going to be a long ass time to be pitiful."

Cameron stuck her tongue out at him and darted out of reach, running at full speed for the door and flying down the steps.

House calmly leaned against the brick wall and pulled out his cell, dialing a number.

"Hey, Jimmy?" He spoke after Wilson asked, "What?"

"I need you to tackle Cameron when she comes by you office in a minute. Hold her until I get down there." And then hung up before Wilson could ask why. He then limped to the stairwell and took his time going down.


	17. Chapter 17

She was mad, plain and simple. He wasn't listening at all. He was just doing what he wanted to do and wasn't taking into account what she wanted.

"For the last time, I don't want to buy a house." She said through gritted teeth and slammed her dresser drawer shut.

"We need more space. It worked for awhile, but it's crowded in here."

"No."

"We are getting a house because we need a house."

"We don't need a house!"

He got inches from her face and yelled, "Yes We Do!"

She clenched her fists and got nose to nose. "We Are Not Buying A House! Why the hell do you need a house so damn bad for?"

"Because I love you, that's why! I want a house for us to spend the rest of our lives in damnit!"

A second went by, both panting heavily, as what House had said registered to both of them. House got a dumbfounded look on his face as Cameron's face got very happy and then fell. Then House got worried. She didn't look at him and walked away to go sit on the couch. She pulled out her keys, the ones he'd given her fourteen months ago. They were resting in her hand much as they had that day. She gazed at them for a long moment. House came over to sit beside her. He was so scared that she was going to hand him those keys and walk out the door. She slowly smiled at him and said, "I guess you'll have to get me a new set, huh?"

He grinned and grabbed her hugging her to him.

"You know you could have just said so." Cameron told him cheekily.


	18. Chapter 18

He had just gotten in, and was standing over his desk checking his mail. After looking at some of the letters he went back over them. They hadn't been sorted. This was curious, because Cameron always drove her car into work a full hour before he arrived on his bike. He smelled the air, no coffee either. From behind him, the glass door swept inward and Cuddy's voice drifted his way.

"She's in my office."

He looked up, and looked straight out the window. This wasn't good. Her voice was soft and kind, and no mention of clinic duty, not good at all.

"I need you to be nice to her."

He tossed the letters onto the desk and they haphazardly scattered over the surface. He tightened his grip on his cane and forced it down by his side. "What's wrong with her?"

"I need your promise that YOU will be nice to her." Cuddy's voice stayed low and calm.

In frustration, he spun to face her and advanced at a very pregnant Cuddy, growling, "Look, just tell me what's wrong with her!"

Cuddy backed up quickly, forgetting how many steps she was from the door, and bumped into it. "Calm down. She's ok. On her way in this morning, she experienced cramping and bleeding and she went straight to the ER. She suffered a miscarriage." Cuddy's voice got even softer, if that was even possible. "Did you know?" She turned her head to look more closely at him.

He wasn't looking at her, but at the floor, his shoes, even her shoes. He shook his head no.

"Well, she didn't know either. She's been crying in my office for the last twenty minutes. She refused to let me call for you any earlier. She didn't think it was fair to drag you out of bed for this." Cuddy's voice got pointed at that. "You need to get down there and help her out. Take her home and stay with her today and tomorrow. Monday I'll expect you both here, ok?" She waited for him to nod again and then nodded back. Then she stepped out of the office and headed down the hall without another word.

For the first time in his life, House didn't know what to do.

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He arrived at Cuddy's office a few minutes later. He stood in the doorframe, watching her. She was faced away from him, sitting in a chair facing Cuddy's desk. One by one she took crumpled Kleenex and balled them into her fist and then took the whole mound, throwing them into the trashcan. She sat up very straight, and he knew that she knew he was there. Slowly, he limped up behind her and placed his hand on her shoulder and squeezed.

"I had a miscarriage."

"I know."

"I didn't know I was pregnant. I would have told you, but –"

"I know." He interrupted.

"Are you sorry?"

He thought a minute. "Do you want the truth?"

"Yes."

"No"

"Oh-"

"Wait. I am sorry for you, but I am not sorry that we're not pregnant. The timing sucks right now. You are getting started in your career, our hours are long and unpredictable, and I don't know if I'll ever be ready."

She started to sob, heavily. "I was thinking the same thing. I've been sitting here happy that I'm not pregnant. I feel like a crappy person." She bawled.

"You're not crappy. You just know, like I do, that it's not a good idea right now."

"House, I don't think I can stay pregnant."

"This has happened before?"

"Yes."

"Oh."

"When you looked up my file, you never even thought about the fact that I could have been pregnant, but lost it before anything could be prescribed."

"Oh."

"The last time, I was running Brian to chemo and to the doctor and cleaning up after him. I also had finals. I was a senior. I was already accepted into medical school. I was two months along, just like this time. I didn't know either, just like this one."

"Well, maybe it's stress. We've had a lot going on, with moving and everything." He wisely left Cuddy's pregnancy out of it, and was happy to see that she'd been sensitive enough to leave Cameron alone in the office.

"Maybe."

"Listen, let's not worry about it now. Let's get you home and into bed. If we ever want to try again, we'll get you checked out before we try, ok?"

"Wait, you don't want to figure this out? You don't want to solve the puzzle?"

"No." He felt surprised, but he didn't, it was enough that she was ok.

She stood up, took a shaky breath and grabbed onto his arm, laying her head on his shoulder. "Let's go home."


	19. Chapter 19

Wilson sat in his office, leaning back in his chair. "So, you really dodged the bullet this time, I hear."

House paced slowly back and forth, picking up things scattered on shelves and such and putting them back. "How do you mean?"

Wilson shrugged and moved forward in his chair, folding his hands and smirking a little, "You know, how she's no longer pregnant?" He waited and blew out a breath as House continued to pace. It was interesting how what House was actually doing could be classified as a mosey really. He was pacing, but at a slow enough pace, that no one could accuse him of it.

He suddenly stopped and raised his cane over his shoulder, in a relaxed gesture. "I guess I did." He promptly flopped down in a close chair.

"You don't seem too happy."

"I should be happy that my girlfriend is a sobbing mess because I 'dodged a bullet'?" House leveled at him. He twirled the cane slowly one way and then the other, in contemplation.

"Well, no." Wilson admitted and leaned back in his chair; letting his hands fall to the arms. "But it's unlike you to care that your girlfriend is a sobbing mess, when you could have been put out." He observed. "Don't tell me some of that niceness has actually rubbed off on you."

House smiled a little and glanced off at the wall. "I don't know. I know that I don't want her to be pregnant and that she doesn't want to be."

"But?"

"But she thinks she can't get pregnant."

"And?"

"I don't know what I think about that."

"Now, I am perplexed."

"I think I want what I can't have, and once I have it, I won't want it."

"!"

"Well, she's it. If this doesn't work out, this is it. I am not doing this again. The whole dating, true love thing, never again."

Wilson held up his hand, "No, offense, but you were lucky to find two people who would put up with you, a third is unlikely."

House grunted in response and continued, "And knowing that she may never be able to bear children, when she's the last one I'm going for, just makes me stop and wonder. I think about what I truly want out of life. I think I didn't ever want to have children, I just always wanted the option, should I change my mind."

"Ok, that makes sense, and it was a little less scary than what I was dreaming up. Have you talked to Allison about this."

House looked at him blankly for a second and then replied, "Oh, Cameron? No, I'm never telling her this, unless it comes up directly. Especially right now. She knows I don't want children, and she knows I'm sorry about what happened. But there is no reason I can see to make her second guess our entire relationship over one little thought I was having."

"I don't know, this seems pretty big to keep it from her."

"How would you know what to keep from somebody and what not to?" House spat out venomously, out of the clear blue. Wilson pushed his chair back a little. He looked at House very carefully. "You've been married three times, and had numerous girlfriends, and you've cheated on all of them. Then, genius that you are, you tell all of them what you've done. Then you wonder why they don't want to stay with you. Then with me, I am a case to be studied apparently." House got very direct and pointed with his next words. Wilson could feel himself shrinking in his chair. House had obviously been storing up. "I know you were wondering when the ax would fall, and here it is. I knew it was you behind the detox week, not Cuddy! I also knew it was you behind the whole; 'let's not tell House he was right when he was' plot. You don't know jack shit about relationships!" He said furiously. He had gotten closer and closer to Wilson's desk as he ranted on, as Wilson got further and further away, his eyebrows climbing to new heights.

"So, what do you want to do about it?" Wilson asked tentatively.

House passed his cane from hand to hand and then leaned back. "Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"The pleasure I'll have of you looking over your shoulder for the rest of your life, seems fair enough." House said with a smirk. Wilson breathed out a sigh of relief and leaned forward, pulling his chair back up to the desk. "But don't pull this crap ever again."

"I won't." Wilson promised, hands in the air. "From now on, your life is your business."

"Good. I think I'll head home now. Cameron was going to fix dinner for us and it should be done soon."

"Listen to you, all domesticated." Wilson said, his voice still a little shaky.

House got up and made his way to the door, "Don't worry, maybe someday it will happen to you."

Wilson was left to watch an empty doorway and a frightening feeling came over him. House hadn't really let it go. He never would. That's what makes House, House.


	20. Chapter 20

She stood with her back to him, looking out their French doors, that faced the wrap-around deck, that went around the back of their house. She leaned against the frame, draped over the jam, and stared out at the blackening night. She wore a silken robe, with angel sleeves, that glanced over her curves and illuminated a shadow about her in light blue.

"I talked to Wilson today." Her fingers reached out and trailed the opposite doorframe.

He sighed and lay back in the bed, pulling the sheets tight against his waist.

"He didn't sound happy." She sighed heavily and turned to face him, leaning back against the same frame.

He didn't look at her, and instead picked at the sheets around him.

"What were you so mad about, House?"

She reached behind her and pulled the door shut. All at once the ethereal effect the wind was having on her hair and clothing died out, leaving her hair to fall flat and her robe to lie down, pulling down toward the earth.

"Why don't you come to bed?" He still didn't look at her, and folded his hands in his lap. She didn't move and he sighed. "What did Jimmy tell you?" He waited.

"Not much." She admitted. "He just advised me to ask 'direct' questions." At that, her mouth quirked up at one corner. It gave her a sultry look in the dimming light. She made no further movements, indicating to House that this was going to be a long night.

He leaned back even further, tilting his head back to look at her more fully in the face. She recoiled, inwardly; at the intense look he gave her, but held her ground. It wasn't anger, but he wasn't happy either.

"So you want to do this, huh?" He acknowledged.

She nodded. "I think, that it's about time that we got this off our chests. I'll feel better, and I hope that you will as well." She said determinedly. She pushed gracefully off the doorway, her robe and hair billowing behind her, as she slowly crept up to the bed and leaned on the post, her hands balancing her. He had a sudden flash of tying her to that bedpost and having his way with her, and then it was gone, as she changed positions, and decided to curl up on at the foot of the bed, instead. Her feet were tucked under her and her robe was pulled tight against her leg; she leaned back against the post. Again, his imagination went wild. Her arms should be above her head, tied tightly to the post. Her legs should be spread wide and her robe open and flowing all around her.

She must have translated his intense look, because she held her hand up, moving the index finger back and forth in that classic 'uh, ah' gesture, and, in fact, backed it up with, "Uh, ah!" She laid her hand down on her leg. "We need to finish this and then we'll see."

House sat still and thought about things for a minute. It had been two weeks since he talked with Wilson and three since that horrible morning. Cameron had no doubt called Wilson out of concern, when she'd noticed his absence at differentials, and lunch, and hanging around his office. House withdrawing to sulk was old hat to her now, after knowing him for over four years. Wilson withdrawing to sulk was a totally new thing. Despite everything, Wilson would have been a good friend, and would not have betrayed his confidence. He would, however, given Cameron enough clues to drag it out of House herself, if she chose to.

Twenty- one months they had been together. And in that time, House felt as though he knew her pretty well. He knew she wasn't going to drop this.

"He asked me if I had dodged the bullet." Cameron's eyes grew hard. "I got mad." She looked perplexed at that. He continued, "I don't want to have a baby, ever. I don't want to get married, ever. You know this. I do want to stay with you, in this house, forever. But, when he asked me that, it brought up stuff that I'd been trying to ignore." He swept his hand out to touch her leg. "I do not want children. I am grumpy. I am busy. I am old. But…" He let his thumb stroke along the front of her leg.

"But?" She swallowed, her voice rough.

"But when you said you were afraid you couldn't have any, I was bothered that I wouldn't even have the option. Ya know?" He looked at her, hoping that she would understand, even sympathize, with his position.

She smiled. "You like your options, even if you have no intention of using them?"

"Well, yeah."

"That can't be what you were arguing with Wilson about."

"No."

She waited a minute, and then crawled on hands and knees up the bed, grazing along the side of his leg the whole way.

"Do you even realize what you do to me when you do things like that?" He asked in amazement, holding her gaze.

She only smiled a deep knowing smile and continued her journey till she was sitting right next to him, butt-to-butt, elbow-to-elbow, facing him, giving him nowhere to hide.

He felt like screaming fire and running out of the building naked. She wasn't gonna let this go, so he might as well rip off the band-aid. "He irritated me."

"Not Wilson…" she smirked.

"Yes, Wilson. He asked me if I'd dodged the bullet, and that made me angry. You miscarried. It wasn't like we missed the red light or something. There were people growing inside you and now there isn't. He was trivializing it and I didn't like it." He watched as she wiped away the tear that escaped. "And then he tried to give me relationship advice. Which also made me angry. I find it funny. He has been married THREE times. None of which have lasted more than three years. He actually was pretty lucky to make it that long. I am a miserable bastard and I have been in reasonably successful relationships. My relationship with Stacy was somewhat fine until my leg, and that lasted five years. My relationship with you has been going strong for almost a year and a half now. Where does he get off giving me advice?" House huffed.

"Maybe he just doesn't want you to screw up a good thing?" Cameron offered.

"Maybe." He grabbed her hand. "I won't screw this up."

Cameron squeezed his hand in return. "I know."

She curled into his side and looked back out the French doors at the dark night.

Neither of them had any idea that a baby boy was born across town at Princeton-Plainsbarow Teaching Hospital. Cuddy kissed the top of his head and sighed softly, "William Gregory Cuddy."


	21. Chapter 21

House just got done with the tree as he heard the door to the car slam shut. He quickly jumped behind the door out of sight and was rewarded by his efforts by having said door slam him in the face. Holding his nose, blood spurting out of it, he came around the door to meet a horrified Cameron's surprised face on the other side. Without a word, she dropped her packages and rushed off to the kitchen to get a towel and some ice. She quickly returned and pressed the towel to his nose to try to stop the flow of blood.

"What were you doing back there?" Cameron asked quickly, while dabbing at his nose and checking his progress every few minutes.

"I was doing something for a surprise and was trying to hide before you came in. I forgot we had two doors for a minute there." He admitted.

She pulled the towel away enough to look into his eyes with disbelief.

He shrugged his shoulders. "I was in a hurry and I lived in the other place for ten years. I forgot."

Cameron looked around to see that the door he was hiding behind was, in fact, in plain view of the other door she would have entered. She was closer to the front door when she got out of the car, so she went in that way. She looked around at the layout of the house and tried to place House's townhouse layout on top in her mind. The front door would have been where his bedroom would have been, so that left her absolutely puzzled as to where House had thought he was going to hide.

House noticed her quizzical look and forcefully pulled the towel out of her hands and stalked off grumpily, "Never mind." He huffed.

Cameron was startled by his abrupt departure from her arms and stared off at his limping form with her arms still up in the air. After a minute, she recovered and noticed she had his blood on her fingers and palms. She walked into the kitchen and cleaned them off methodically as her long instilled training had taught her; wrists and forearms, then the palms and each digit, then under each nail, and then lastly to rinse off with the fingers up and elbows in the sink. She pulled a fresh paper towel off the roll and quickly dried her hands and disposed of the paper. She then wandered into the living room and sat down next to House, trying not to help him.

He pulled the towel away finally and looked at the blood all over the towel. So much, it looked like, even though he knew it looked worse than it was. He turned more to her. "Is it broken?" He winced a little as her hands flew to his face to examine the damage the door had done to his nose.

"No." She looked the nose carefully over. "No, I don't believe it is." She wondered how that could be with all the blood and how hard she had hit him.

"Good" was all he said. He heaved himself off the couch and made his way into the bathroom to clean himself up.

She sighed and got up from the couch, rubbing her hands on her pants and sides to settle her nerves. She laughed a little and went to pick up her forgotten presents, now scattered over the entranceway. She walked over to the tree and started placing the presents under the tree and stopped short. The tree had been previously undecorated. It was now fully decorated. The funny thing was, it wasn't all just her decorations. They weren't new either. They were obviously House's and obviously meant a lot to him. She even spotted a 'baby's first Christmas' with the year House was born printed on it among the branches. She carefully finished placing the last of the packages down on the tree skirt, and looked carefully around for other surprises.

Decorations lined the fireplace and the walls. A fire crackled in the fireplace and she now smelt something cooking in the oven.

She stood in quiet amazement, as what House had truly done washed over her. He'd made it a home for her. She had been dreading trying to make him help her decorate, make him get into the spirit and he had beat her to it.

She spun around to look at the tree again and her hands came up to her cheeks in shock. Slowly, she walked up to the tree and reached out to the branches, and then drew her hand back with a key hanging from a white piece of yarn that had been looped over the boughs.

"I thought that I would add to that little collection of yours." He said softly, right behind her. She was so stunned that she never heard him approach.

With shaking hands, she lifted it to her eye level and examined her gift. It was obviously a car key of some kind, complete with key fob and a new key chain. The key chain was engraved, like her previous one had been. Cameron – You are my key to everything. It was too much for Cameron who started to bawl. House came up behind her, pulling her close and she turned and buried her face in his neck.

"It's the best present I could ever get." She sniffled.

He chuckled slightly. "You haven't even seen your present yet."

She pushed away from him and looked up into his face, caressing his cheeks with her balled left fist and open right palm. "No, I got my gift. Anything else is just icing on the cake." She declared and kissed him deeply.

When House had recovered from the kiss, he took her back outside and pointed across the street to a silver sedan that she had previously driven right past. "There she is." She looked at him expectantly. He nodded and lowered his hand taking her to his side and leading her over to her present. "I decided that you should not still be driving the same car you drove in undergraduate school. That was a very worn out car, and I would like some assurance that you'll actually make it home every night."

She eagerly opened the driver's side and climbed in, looking and touching every button and option in the luxury car's interior. She adjusted the seat to her liking and began adjusting the mirrors while House climbed into the passenger side. He began to explain features and she asked questions until she casually threw in, "So did you plan all of this before or after Wilson called you with the news?'

He took a deep breath. "Truth is I had this planned for weeks and had scheduled you in the clinic today so that I could get this all done. I was halfway done with the tree when Wilson called."

"It was a boy."

"I know."

"She named it after you."

"I heard. Well it was the middle name anyway." House admitted.

"Are you going to go see him?"

"No."

At this, Cameron paused for a moment. "Why not?"

"It's not my kid, Cuddy didn't invite either one of us to visit, and I signed a paper that said I would leave them alone."

"When has that ever stopped you before?"

"This is Cuddy. It makes it different."

"Would I make it different?" The words were past her lips before she could stop them, and she clutched the steering wheel tight in her grip.

A moment past and a smile graced his lips, had she had the guts to observe it. "Allison, you make the difference."

Tears rolled down her cheeks, and she turned to him in the seat and kissed him passionately.


	22. Chapter 22

Cuddy slowly rocked her baby boy to sleep in the rocker that was provided in every maternity suite. She slowly touched his cheek, his fingers, and counted toes. She marveled at every sound and at every expression he made.

A soft knock at the door broke in to her reverie and she raised her head to look at the intrusion and softly called, "Come in."

Wilson slowly opened the door and entered quietly, holding a giant teddy bear under his arm. He pulled the bear out and showed it to Lisa, who smiled her thanks and he placed it in a side chair. He walked over to her and got a closer look at the baby, all wrapped up in blue blankets. "I thought I'd come see what all the fuss is about," he whispered.

"Or are you just reporting to House?" She said a little pointedly in her whisper.

"Why would I report back to House?" Wilson asked in confusion.

Lisa suddenly realized that Wilson, for once, had no clue what House had been up to, regarding her.

"You didn't know?" She said softly to herself. "I can't believe he didn't tell you." She stared off over his shoulder, deep in thought. If he hadn't told Wilson, he wasn't planning to burst in here at any minute. If Wilson didn't know anything then House thought there wasn't anything to tell. House had no plans to ever be a part of this child's life. She looked back at Wilson, a sadness etched onto her features, to encounter a similar sadness on Wilson's face as he suddenly realized what House had neglected to tell him.

"I didn't know how much he hadn't forgiven me, until this moment." Wilson sighed and looked more upset then Lisa had ever seen him.

She reached out and placed an open hand on his shoulder, comforting him as much as she could while holding a newborn.

He looked up, tears in his eyes. "Does Cameron know about the affair?"

Cuddy huffed and pulled her hand back cradling her son. "There was no affair. He made a donation and I used a sample. And yes, Cameron knows about it." Lisa rocked the chair a little more forcefully.

Realization dawned. "That's why Cameron was pissed off at you all these months! I don't blame her. That was not the way to try to steal away House." Wilson whispered furiously.

Cuddy stopped dead and stared at James.

James looked at her without blinking.

"No, I guess it wasn't." She admitted finally, and continued to rock William to sleep.


	23. Chapter 23

All he knew is that is was a bad morning. His head hurt and he stubbed his toe. Cameron had left a half an hour ago for work in her car, as was their custom. She hated to be late, or to be distracted into being late, so she always left early. He usually came to work on the bike, unless he felt it necessary to drive in the Vet, although neither one was truly a 'winter' car. Today he felt was a Vet day. The clouds were moving in and the temperature was dropping, sure to be a cold winter January day. He limped even more slowly to the kitchen to get his coffee that Cameron had made for him, when his leg seized. Pain shot through him, and he was sure that he was going to die. He grabbed the handset that rested on the counter and hit the 911 emergency button on the pad, and then he hit the floor.

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Cameron was sitting at House's desk, when the door quietly opened and Cuddy walked in slowly. Cameron knew, just from her look, that something had happened to House.

Cuddy took a deep breath, and started to talk. "They brought House in by ambulance ten minutes ago," Cameron's hand flew to her mouth. "And it doesn't look good."

Cameron asked no questions, only got up from the desk and walked quickly out the door and down the hall to the elevators, with Cuddy trailing behind.

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Cameron rushed to his bedside and cupped his head in her hands. He was grunting in pain and barely able to focus on anything.

"Give him something!" She demanded to the doctor next to her.

He shook his head and indicated the chart in his hands. "We've already maxed out the Morphine on him,. We'll have to wait."

"Do you know what's wrong?" She asked desperately.

"The leg is failing." He responded.

Her world crashed down around her as she realized what he'd said and what it meant to her. House would never let them amputate his leg so that left only one option at this point and she didn't want to have to stand by any more grave sites.

It was at that moment that House was unable to keep quiet and began to start to yell. Cameron rushed over to him and cradled his head, and pressed her cheek against his. She stroked his hair and skin and attempted to soothe him, tried to get him to breathe through his pain. He resisted at first, being House, but eventually her soft commanding voice and soft touches pulled him over to her way of thinking and he began to breathe with her in a weird imitation of Lamaze.

He didn't want to admit that the breathing was helping. It kept his mind focused, it relaxed his muscles and he was able to look at Cameron, instead of squinting up his eyes in pain. His mind began to pick up her whispered murmurings. "I love you, you're going to be all right, breathe slowly, breathe," over and over again.

He put a hand up to her face and pulled her so she was now looking at his eyes. He was startled at how changed she was from this morning. Her eyes were red and puffy and mascara tracks lined her cheeks in funky patterns because of how her head had been angled. He knew that he looked no better. He knew that tear tracks lined his face as well; the pain had been so intense.

"Did you hear what the doctor said?" Cameron asked gently.

"Leg's failing." He replied, through even breaths.

"What are you going to do?" She asked even softer, dread filling her voice.

He sighed in between breaths, and looked away for a minute. "If you were my Power of Attorney, would you do what I asked, like you did with Foreman? Not like…" He broke off before he said her name; they both knew what he was asking.

She looked away as well and took a deep breath, unconsciously imitating House's actions a moment before. "Yes." It was all that she said, all that needed to be said.

He knew with that word, she would do everything in her power to make sure that his wishes were carried out.

"I want them to take off the leg."


	24. Chapter 24

Cuddy ran up five flights of stairs and down a hallway to the daycare. She ran in and without a word to the teacher, picked up three-month-old William and his blanket, walked back to the door and signed him out, and then took him out of the room. She cradled him close, feeling every breath that left his body, every beat of his heart under her hand. She took him one floor down and into an office with the words Gregory House, M.D. printed on the glass. She sat down in his office chair, surrounded by all of his distractions, and turned to face the balcony. She cried as though her heart would break.

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Wilson sat in the gallery watching, as he promised to do, that the right leg was taken. He watched as his very best friend in the word was cut violently open and a limb was severed from his body. He hadn't wanted to see his friend vulnerable, naked, and alone on this cold operating table. Hadn't wanted to see the thing he'd tried so hard to keep taken from him. Hadn't wanted to see the great Greg House fail. He recognized the olive branch, though, when it was presented. He knew it was his chance to have the past forgiven. His duplicity over Tritter, and the drugs, and the patient, and everything else would be forgotten with this one task.

The promise he'd made to House was steep though. Watch the leg and watch Cameron. The two things in life House gave a damn about, minus himself. Lately, he hadn't made the cut. He had to even promise, although, he'd thought it was made somewhat in jest, that if he ever married Cameron, he wouldn't divorce her. Cameron deserved better. And then he said that Cameron deserved better than both of them. Wilson had understood his friend's pain filled ramblings and shutterings, grunted out during deep breathing exercises, curses, and moans and shrieks of aches and twinges. Wilson had left the room crying and had come up to theater and cried through the whole operation.

Now he stood, in shock and without tears, as they tried to shock his friend back to life.

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Foreman and Chase sat in the waiting room playing poker. They glanced at the clock and secretly wondered where everybody was.

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Cameron was in Wilson's office. She sat in his chair and surveyed the room. Wilson wasn't going to be happy when he returned. Papers and books and pens and paper clips scattered the floor. Chairs where turned on end. Nothing was where it belonged. In the middle sat Cameron, perfectly calm and her eyes dry.

At her waist, her pager went off. Calmly, she removed it and read the message, twice, to make sure. She reattached the pager to her waist and bolted from the room.


	25. Chapter 25

Wilson heard a funny loud clumping, rhythmically coming down the hallway at him. Suddenly, the doorway in front of him burst open in his direction and a brunette threw herself into his arms, arms on top of his shoulders and legs around his waist. He would have lost his balance if she weighed anything. She was sobbing and laughing and overjoyed, and he held her. He laughed and cried and was overjoyed as well.

"As much as I am enjoying this," he was finally able to say. "I don't think we should be together like this."

She dropped her feet to the ground gracefully and started to bounce up and down with her hands on his shoulders for balance. "When can I see him?"

"Soon," he promised. He gently took her hands and led her to a chair. "We need to discuss some things."

Cameron instantly recognized his voice and manner that he treated terminal patients with and instantly sobered. Her face turned white and she thought she might pass out. He noticed and steadied her.

"Wait, its nothing really bad," Wilson said, dropping his professionalism. "I just wanted to update you. He's fine, he's in recovery and he should be able to snark at you in an hour or so."

He color came back and she managed a weak smile. Then she punched him hard in the arm. "Don't EVER do that to me again, unless its for real." She took a seat and scowled at him.

Wilson tried not to but failed, wincing in pain and grabbing his arm to alleviate the instant pain that accompanied her punch. "You've got a hell of and arm there, Ali." He said, pronouncing it like the boxer. He sat down, still babying his arm. "The correct leg was taken off and they rerouted everything. It was a success. But, they lost him for a minute. They were able to bring him back. He should be fine."

Cameron nodded dumbly. "He's like a damn cat." She acknowledged.

Wilson relaxed at this. "Yeah, he is." He leaned back in his chair and pulled her to his side. "He's fine and he's going to continue to be fine."

Cameron shook her head. "He'll be a long where from fine, but it will get better eventually." She said tiredly, rubbing her face.

He nodded. He knew.


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is going to be the last angsty chappie for a while. I hope to get a little more fun into the next couple of chapters. I had to wrap up the leg arc though; with House there is always fallout. This was a hard one to write, and I wrote in a different style than I usually do, so I'm not sure how it turned out. I tried to keep it real, so let me know. The show suspends reality at times; a man with no leg muscle runs 8 miles for instance, so stretched a little. Let me know what you think.

Rehab was hell.

Cameron wasn't the one doing it, and she had come to that conclusion rather quickly. Well…maybe it was just hell with House.

She'd waited by his side, waited patiently for him to awaken from the anesthetics. The rest of the gang waited with her. She knew they thought they knew what to expect. She knew they thought they knew how to handle him. She knew that they thought wrong.

At the first sign that he was coming out of it, she crossed her legs and settled back in the chair, and waited. She waited for him.

The others didn't. They pounced at his bedside, like children receiving their Christmas presents. They poked and prodded and asked him annoying questions.

He reacted, and Cameron wasn't surprised.

Each one of the others, left soon after, his ranting and raving and screaming that they leave immediately, finally getting to all of them. All except Cameron, who still sat motionless, waited for her cue. She owed him this. Everything was out of his control, she would let him be in control of this, but she wouldn't do anything to get thrown out, he needed her too much right now.

She watched as he curled as much as he could, with all the wires and slings in his way, onto the side facing away from her. He wasn't very successful. He couldn't even roll over, with the sling holding his now missing leg, up in the air. Cameron wasn't a surgeon, had never done a surgical rotation, but thought it probably was there to keep down swelling or to help drainage, or something like that. House's doctor would come in soon to explain, she was sure.

Suddenly, she snapped to attention and looked to his face. He was sobbing, his hands over his face, turned to be as far out of her line of sight as possible.

She waited.

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Months later they were in rehab, at a rehab facility. He lived there, and she slept in a cot by his side. Everyday they went to rehab, and then loaded up into a van and went to the hospital so they could work, and then went back for more rehab. Cameron would have thought this would be pointless. After all, House could only work three to four hours before tiring out. Except, it actually turned out that he worked more hours since the surgery than before. He no longer was able to slink off and hide for most of the workday and was forced to reside in his office or the adjoining room for most of the day. His wheelchair wasn't powered, so he would have to workout his muscles, and wheeling all over the hospital had done nothing for him but strand him in the most unusual places once he ran out of steam.

After work, they again loaded back into the van and headed back 'home.' House would take a nap while Cameron did her work via the Internet and phone, and after the nap, it was time for more rehab.

Day after day, House strapped on the rehab prosthesis and attempted to walk 15 steps. He was currently up to six. She watched him grunt and swear and fall. Day after day she plastered a nonchalant look to her face and waited. He wouldn't have appreciated her as a cheerleader or taken her pity, so she neither cheered him on nor rushed to his side as he fell. She waited.

Rehab was hell.

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Months after that they were finally back in their own house and House was up and walking in his own custom-made prostheses four to five hours a day. The wheelchair was parked by the door and used only when they went out.

House slept in the bed and Cameron slept in the guest room across the hall. The first night they were back he'd asked her if she wouldn't mind it the first few nights, because he didn't want to risk bumping his stump in the night. She had agreed, seeing through the lie. Every night she went in and kissed him on his cheek and bid him goodnight. Every night he ignored her, and looked away. She always left the bedroom doors open in between, in case.

Every night, she lay in bed waiting, her keys in her hand. She would wait. He was worth it.

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She waited until their third anniversary.

House had been home close to six months. He could now wear his prosthesis all day now, although, it ached at the end of the night. They shared a house together, they worked together, they drove all over town together, but they no longer shared a life together.

She sat on the couch with her keys in her hand. There were no plans to celebrate, no dinner out, no drinks with the gang. She caressed each key, read the inscriptions, and gazed longingly at each one.

She was done waiting.

"I miss you," she said softly.

He sat in the chair off to her left. He tried to ignore her by turning the volume up on the television.

She was done waiting.

"I miss you." She said this louder, looking right at him.

He now looked at her.

She held up the keys in her hand. "What's it going to be, House?"

His eyes narrowed.

"I'm so tired. I wait for you, and you never show. I want you to show. I miss my House, the snarky, misanthropic guy who wanted me. I want to know, now, if I keep waiting, will he ever show?"

Rehab, after all, was hell. Making over an entire person takes time and timing.

She blinked and waited as he rose and left the house.

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He waited in a café, down the street from his house. A car pulled up and he got in.

Wilson, after being ignored for six months, wanted to know why he was picking House up and where they were going.

"Just drive around." House gestured with his hand in a round about motion.

Wilson sighed and pulled away from the curb, driving off into the unknown.

"I resent her."

Wilson almost swerved into oncoming traffic. He never expected to get to the heart of what was going on much less within five seconds of picking him up.

"I resent her, because I love her." He explained.

"That makes no sense," Wilson said.

House gripped his thigh just above where the pain used to reside. Not much leg remained. "I did this for her. I love her too much to let her watch another man she loved wind up in a cemetery. I asked her, if she were in charge of me, what would she do? And she told me she would do exactly as I asked. I knew that she would, because her moral compass wouldn't let her do any different. I knew that I couldn't let her do that to herself." He let go of his leg and looked at Wilson. "I resent her."

"You don't really resent her, you know." Wilson began after a moment, "You really resent yourself, because you had no choice. The great Dr. House was unable to do anything for himself, yet again."

House was quiet for the next few miles.

"What happened to you House?" Wilson asked finally. "I used to think, I would want you to be like this, quiet, reserved, listening to other people…. but I don't. I miss the snarky, say what ever you want, annoy me till I can't stand it, misanthropic guy I know and love. I want you to make nurses cry, avoid Cuddy, and drag me into all your little schemes. What happened to you?"

House stared out the window for a while. "You know, she said the same thing, right before I left tonight." He turned back to look at his friend. "I don't think she'll be there when I get back." He said quietly.

Wilson spotted a place to pull over, and did so. He parked and turned to look back at House. "What do you mean?"

"She said she was tired. Then I walked out to think. I think she's done waiting for me."

"She might be." Wilson agreed.

"Do you two talk at all?" House asked, curious.

"Yes."

House asked no more. He knew that Wilson knew more than he would ever tell him.

"Can you take me back?" He asked softly. Wilson nodded and then pulled away from the curb, turning around.

When they were halfway there, Wilson spoke up, "If you let her go, you won't ever get her back again."

House nodded, "I know."

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When he arrived all the lights were out in the house. He sighed and walked heavily with a slight limp to his bedroom. He had left the leg on too long and he was paying for it now. In a few months he could wear it all day, maybe even run in it. Something he had never thought he would be able to do again. He smiled a sad smile as he opened the door to revel Cameron sitting on the bed. No lights were on, only the glow of the moon through the doors highlighted her. She sat fully dressed and warily looked at him.

He stopped in the doorway, then took a step forward and closed the door behind him, locking it.

"You're not going anywhere, tonight or any night." He declared. He wasn't going to lose her now or ever

"The only way I'm leaving is if you kick me out." She said as she stood up and came over to him.

He saw what she was wearing now, her blue suit, the one he had wanted to rip off, exactly three years ago yesterday. As she passed her dresser, her arm swung up and the keys in her hand forcefully landed on the wood surface, reminding him of the shock he had given her three years ago today. He smiled at her. She smiled back.

"I'm sorry, I'm an idiot." House admitted.

Cameron smiled, "One step at a time, and we'll get it right."

He couldn't believe how close he'd come to throwing it all away.

He kissed her. "I'm back," he confirmed.

"I'll alert Cuddy!" Cameron giggled.


	27. Chapter 27

Cuddy looked around the clinic, no House. Strange, she thought. He's been in the clinic, on time for the last six months or more. Hell, I've even had it noted on my calendar! Worried, she headed up to the Diagnostics Department to investigate.

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Chase went up to the coffee machine and poured a drink and fixed it to his liking and sat down at the table. Next to him, Foreman hopped up fanning his backside and giving off high-pitched squeals.

"What's wrong?" Chase asked, alarmed, as he got up to help his friend.

"Somebody put something on my chair!" He said through clenched teeth.

Chase looked at Foreman's rear to realize whatever was on there was actually burning through the pants. "Uhh, you'd better change before your underwear gets it next," he advised.

Foreman took off grumbling and passed Wilson, Cameron, and Cuddy in the hall.

"One of you is gonna pay for this one!" He said bitingly at the stunned trio in the hallway. They all watched as he stormed off, waving furiously at his rear with a newspaper, all the way down the hall.

Cameron and Wilson chuckled, while Cuddy just looked disturbed. She frowned at the other two and opened the door to the conference room just in time to see Chase take his very first sip of coffee, only for him to spray it back out in a large arc all over Cuddy. Now, Cameron's and Wilson's giggles stopped as they looked in horror at first Cuddy and then Chase, who now had the same expression on his face.

He leaped up and grabbed towels, babbling about how his coffee tasted funny and how he was soooo sorry. He attempted to pat her down, but had Cuddy pull the towels out of his hands and look reproachfully at his attempts. She cleaned herself up, while Chase investigated his coffee. He discovered it was vinegar and hot sauce.

Once the shock wore off, Cameron and Wilson dissolved into full-blown laughter, leaving both weak and hanging onto one another.

"Your FACE." Wilson hooted.

"I'm s-s-sorry, b-b-but that w-was p-p-priceless!" Cameron stuttered through chuckles. She finally got a hold of herself and made it over to House's office. He wasn't there. She walked up to his desk and opened drawer after drawer. She was unable to find his iPod or his Gameboy. She smiled and turned to Wilson, Cuddy and Chase, who had followed her inside.

"He's back!" She exclaimed, her face beaming.

Wilson, Cuddy and Chase all smiled back. Then Cuddy looked at Chase with dread all over her face.

"Oh, crap!" Chase looked back at Cuddy with fear all over his.


	28. Chapter 28

He crossed the room in long strides finally able to do so for weeks. He'd taken to running again and Cameron had even signed him up with a group of handicapped athletes. He'd sulked and mocked and told her what a stupid idea it was but she'd stood firm and told him if he liked to play sports so much, now that he wasn't in constant pain, he should do them. So she'd dropped him off with a one-sided kiss and a wave and he stood there with his lacrosse gear and catcher's mitt in his hand, not sure what sport they were attempting that week. Baseball was the theme for this week, he thought as he observed two men practicing catching and a couple others practicing hitting. He wandered over to them and stood next to a guy with a clipboard and an eye patch, and horrible scarring across the left side of his face.

"I'm here cause the little woman signed me up." He announced.

"Ah," the man flipped a page. "You must be Greg. I was warned of your presence today." He said this with a grin and looked at House extending a hand.

House looked at him askance and shook his hand warily. "Warned?" He asked.

"Yeah," the man nodded with a bigger grin. "You see the 'little woman' warned us that you were," The man took his hand back and flipped the page again, scanning for the info, "sarcastic, mean, and very not happy with being here. She said you were a royal pain in the ass." Again the man beamed a smile in House's direction and let the paper fall back into place. "My name is Sam. I'm the catcher today." He started to point out people on the team. "That's Tim, he's the one-armed pitcher. Over there is Bob, he's third. He's got MS. Stan is first; he's got one leg shorter than the other. Ken is second; he's had a heart transplant. Steve's got cancer and so does Jimmy. John has got severe asthma. Ryan is shortstop and he got an arm blown off in Iraq and I got a grenade to the side of my face. What we do is, the assigned people go first and the unassigned get together and figure out how they want their team and then we just switch out. Last week we figured out the teams for this week, but there was a miscommunication and your team didn't assign spots. So just get with John and they'll figure out what's what." At this the man grinned again and took off toward his team. House sighed shook his head and went off to meet his doom.

At the end of the afternoon, he was surprised to find he had enjoyed himself. A lot. He was looking forward to next week even, which happened to be football.

House now stood at the whiteboard with his precious markers, thinking over how much better he'd had it since the leg was taken off. He'd wondered if he would have been happier eleven years ago when he could have first had the leg removed. He now doubted it, because Stacy is not Cameron. Cameron found ways that he could do the things he loved to do and left him alone. Cameron didn't push him unless absolutely necessary. Cameron understood him. And he, he understood Cameron.

He could hear her now, as he was presented with symptoms that he wrote down. The keys jingling as they were rotated around in her lab coat pocket. She was unaware that she did it. It was a full-blown habit. House found it comforting. He wondered when she would notice.

The kids were all sent out on their respective duties and he retired to his office to beat the next level on his new game.

All day Cameron was in and out of the office and she never asked him about the keys. He doubted she could keep this quiet so she must not have noticed. He sighed as he gathered his coat and went to meet her by the car. He was looking forward to her reaction.

Days went by. He played soccer this Saturday with the gang and Cameron even stayed to cheer him on. He appreciated her cheering for him now. These guys understood disability and so did she. He thought he could talk them into learning lacrosse for next week.

It was Wednesday when she finally noticed. He was standing outside the lab when he heard her shriek and the noise of metal keys hitting the floor out of sheer surprise. He turned in time to see her lower herself to the ground and reach shaking fingers toward her prize. She scooped them up and slowly rose, frantically looking for the thing that had put her in this state.

Where her old key chain had resided, its edges chipped and the lettering worn down from her worrying it over the years, was a brand new, identical key chain. The engraving on it had set her off.

Allison House, M.D.

Stunned, she looked through the glass walls to his face that looked back at her. They stood for what seemed hours, just looking.

Then Cameron ran through the door and flew at him, wrapping her arms around him. He held her tight to him and asked, "Does this mean yes?"

She pulled away, nodding her head and crying, trying to wipe the tears away.

"At least I waited till I got out of the lab, before you caught me crying!" She said when she was unsuccessful at getting the tide to stop flowing.

He grabbed her to him again. "As long as its yes, you can cry anywhere you want to."


	29. Chapter 29

Cameron was sorting through a catalogue of wedding invitations. Next to her, House was also sorting through a book. She sighed and continued to mark her favorites down on a scrap of paper as she noticed House do the same on his scrap. They had started out looking at the same book together, but after an hour and a half of bickering ensued, mainly brought about by House dismissing every option she presented as too plain or too girly, they had gone to separate corners. Both sales women had long since given up and retreated behind the counter to watch the show from a safe distance.

Cameron had looked forward to planning her wedding. With her first husband it had been a quick trip to city hall. She imagined walking into little boutiques, and giggling with girlfriends over bad dresses and overpriced centerpieces. What she hadn't envisioned was House insisting that he go with her everywhere, weighing in on every subject. Everywhere they went, people would complement him on how he willingly followed her into the bridal shops, flower shops, and the like, until they saw how possessive and demanding he was on every subject.

They switched books and went over the ones the other one chose, circling the ones that appealed, with one of the saleswomen running interference. Cameron sighed again. She was starting to envy her friends that couldn't get their fiancés into a bridal shop under threat of death. Her own brother-in-law had left everything up to her sister, claiming that she had dreamed of this day, like every little girl had, and she deserved to get her big day the way she wanted.

They were down to three, agreeing on none but one, and that one was a 'maybe' in House's mind, now that she'd agreed to it. With a grunt of frustration, she snapped, "This is it! We both agreed to it! This is the one, whether you like it or not!"

The salesgirl swooped down and took the order before Cameron could be beaten back down into another choice. House sulked into a corner, fuming over his lack of options, and the other salesgirl pulled Cameron into another corner while she put way the five catalogues they had poured over for three hours now.

"Honey, I'm glad he's yours, 'cause I could never, ever put up with the likes of him." The girl scoffed and waltzed off behind the counter, leaving Cameron to look at her guy, leaning in the other corner. She walked up to the counter and signed off on all the details, filled out the information, and gave their address for the invitations to arrive at their house. When she was done, she wearily grabbed his arm and led him off to their car.

"So what torture do you have in store for me tomorrow? Rusty razor blades and thumb screws?" He snarked at her, turning his head to cock it at her..

"Nope, cake tasting." She said quietly.

"Cake tasting?" He stopped and looked at her, and then smiled taking her hand. "Cake tasting, I could get behind that."

Cameron smiled; no one else wanted him that was fine with her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: The above was inspired totally by my pre-wedding experiences. My husband wanted to have the last decision on everything, including my dress! I put my foot down, but many people began running in terror whenever we showed up at their place of business!


	30. Chapter 30

Cameron walked out of the bakery fuming and wiping off icing off her cheeks and clothes.

It had started off ok. House had been excited when they brought out a whole mini cake and thought they were going to get to try a whole cake for each flavor, not realizing that the cake was divided up into flavors so that a person could try them all at one sitting. After that was explained and House would actually share the cake with her, Cameron ordered another cake for tasting with different combos.

"Why did we get these?' House whispered to Cameron.

"They are the most popular, so they have this ready to go when you show up." She explained with a smile.

Happily they ate and marked down their favorites.

"So what are we doing tomorrow?" House asked in between bites. They had picked out their flavors all right. They had actually agreed on something. Then they had gone through the different styles and had unanimously agreed on that as well. They were just finishing up the cake and waiting for the baker to come back with their copy of the order.

"Well, I was going to go pick up my wedding dress tomorrow. That place is having a sale and I really liked it, so I thought it would be good to do that tomorrow."

"Sounds good. When do you want me over?"

Cameron snorted at what she thought was a joke and then quickly sobered up once she realized the hurt look he was giving meant he was serious. "You are not serious, right? You're not coming to get my wedding dress!?" She set down her fork.

"Well I hadn't seen it yet, and I wanted to approve of it." House started to explain.

"Approve of it? Approve of it! First of all it's my wedding dress. Second of all, you don't get to see me in my wedding dress until the wedding. Third, you don't need to approve of it at all."

About right then the baker came back and Cameron signed the forms and started to head out, but not without taking what was left of her cake and shoving it directly into House's unsuspecting face.

Cameron now looked over her shoulder in the parking lot to see House coming up to the door. She started to laugh hysterically. Icing covered his entire face and he made no effort to clean any of it off. He got to his side of the door and leaned over the top to speak to her.

"I think we're going to do just fine," and then got into the car.


	31. Chapter 31

Cuddy rushed around her house and put the final touches on her table. She called everyone in and they all sat down to eat. Aunts and uncles, her brothers and sisters and her mom and dad were all in attendance for William's first birthday.

Throughout the day and through the night, the festivities were high as William blew out his candle and opened his first presents. Picture after picture was taken. Ice cream eaten and cake consumed. The last guest left long after William had gone to bed, and Cuddy sat down on her barren couch, in her empty house and wept.

Everyone there had had somebody. All of her siblings and family members were married and had their own children. And she was alone, bereft.

The one noticeable absence was that there was no one from the father's side of the family present. He had never come barging into her hospital room, making comments about her maternity figure, asking about the name, or demanding equal rights to his kid. He simply hadn't cared.

House cared about everything that affected him. The answer would be that this didn't affect him at all and he didn't care.

Cuddy realized suddenly that House was with Cameron, really with her. She had thought that at first, he was playing with Cameron. That it was one of his experiments. Her idea to become pregnant was not a new one, nor was her idea to involve him. She had just lacked any kind of nerve to ask this of him. But when Cameron and he seemed to get closer, she realized it was her very last chance with him and she took it. Never had something backfired so brilliantly in human history. Not only did he reject her, but he rejected her without either one of them making any steps in either direction.

It was time to grow up. It was time to give up on him. It was time to set her sights on someone else she respected, and knew, and cared for. This time no tricks, deceptions, or games. He either wanted her or he didn't.

She picked up the phone and dialed. He answered.

"Hello?'

"Hi. It's Lisa." She chewed on her lip nervously. "I was wondering if you would like to go out for drinks sometime?"

"Just to catch up?"

" No. As a date. With me." She clarified.

The line went silent for a while and then the soft voice came back over the line. "I'm not a replacement?"

"No, you'd never be a replacement."

"You're over him?"

"Completely."

"Then let's make it dinner instead."

Cuddy smiled. "That sounds good, James. Friday O.K.?"

"That's fine."

"I'll see you then. Pick me up at my house around seven?"

"Sounds good. I'll see you then."

She heard the soft click of the phone and hung up on her end.

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Friday came and Cuddy found herself at an expensive restaurant with Wilson. They talked easily and Cuddy was surprised at how well things were going. The conversation never lagged and the food was great.

"This is great. I haven't been out with an adult in ages." Cuddy commented.

"I'll bet all new mom's say that." Wilson smiled back at her and cut into his steak.

Their meal was soon completed and they chatted over coffee and dessert.

"Tell me something," Wilson started, and gestured with his free hand. "Why do you want to date me?"

Cuddy almost choked on her food, she inhaled her bite of cheesecake so fast.

"I…I like you." She paused and took a drink of her coffee, contemplating her next words. "Do you?"

Now it was Wilson's turn to choke on his coffee. He remembered the same words uttered by a desperate woman in love four years ago. He was told how she asked so pleadingly, and how his best friend had crushed her hopes, her dreams, and her aspirations in the declaration of the word no.

The thrice-divorced man had every reason to be cynical, every reason to doubt, but he didn't. He would not crush her.

"Yes."


	32. Chapter 32

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: This has some spoilery things in it for "One Day, One Room" Episode that is coming up. I've read the spoilers on it and it could be wrong so you're taking your chances if you read any farther. Please, do not read this chappie and flame me about how unfair it is that I spoiled you, I gave fair warning!

Meeting the parents.

It was a week before the wedding and the parents had decided that they would come in to town early and spend time with the happy couple before they headed off on their honeymoon.

House thought he was in Hell.

It was one thing to have Cameron's parents with them for a week. It was one thing to have his parents for a week. It was sheer torture having them both there at the same time.

For one thing his father alone was enough to make him feel like shit. His father. House hated him. For all that he ever did to him, said to him. How he made him feel, how he still does make him feel.

Cameron's family he kinda liked, as much as he could like two bible-beaters from the Midwest. The thing about it was that Cameron's dad didn't like him, and he made that plain. He didn't like how old House was, or his house, or the fact that he was Cameron's boss, that he didn't call her by her given name, or that she referred to him as House, and most assuredly, he really didn't like the fact that they were not married and had lived together over two years.

His own father had a long list of crap too, and when they got together for dinner on Wednesday night, all of it hit the fan.

It had started friendly enough but had escalated into 'who can make House feel like shit more.' Cameron and Blithe were shooting worried glances at each other and at House. House noticed this through the entire uncomfortable exchange. He also noticed at the beginning, Blithe's reaction to Cameron's shock and concern for him. He knew that previous experience reigned. In the past, he had never told his girlfriends about his father, or shared any personal information with them. In the past, he'd picked people like Stacy that were more on the self-centered side. In truth, he had told Cameron everything. Every painful truth. She knew everything about everything and everybody.

He saw Blithe give Cameron a look of admiration and both of them banded together, tossing furious looks at their respected man and soothing looks his way. He didn't blame them. House in his element was cutting and quick-witted. House demoralized and raw was quiet, sad sight to see. He withdrew more and more until he finally had enough and left without saying a word. He hopped on his motorcycle and left. Tires squealing, smoke rising off of the pavement. He was glad of the fact that they had arrived separately. He was glad that he could now ride his motorcycle.

Fast very fast. A feeling like floating stole over his body as he raced to his sanctuary at home. It was safe there. It was home there. He needed to be there so badly.

He arrived and ran with his slight limp inside. He quickly disposed of his leather jacket and helmet somewhere near the doorway and looked around for someplace to go. He went into their bedroom and found himself in the master bath behind a closed door. He wasn't even sure in his state how he got home, how he got into this room. He leaned against the doorframe and raised a loosely clenched fist to the smooth surface of the door. He laid his face against the knuckles of his other hand, laying palm side down on the wall.

He cried and he sobbed and he knew that he was not good enough for Allison. She deserved better than the half-life he could offer, and he always knew it. People that had met him six minutes ago knew it. People that had known him all of his life knew it. He knew it as well.

He was slightly startled as the door he was laying all his weight upon started to slowly open upon him. Somewhere during his crying spell he had began to softly hit the door with his fist. He stopped short and moved back to let her in. He knew she would find him.

"I had a talk with my parents. My father will never talk to you like that again. I am afraid that your parents are not coming either after what I said to your dad. I don't see it as a great loss." He could now see her tear-streaked face.

"You shouldn't have driven while you were upset." He said softly.

"Neither should you." She said equally soft. The door still stood as a barrier between them. "House, are you gonna let me in?"

He took a deep calming breath and still his words shook. "I'm not so sure the wedding is such a good idea." The thought of her leaving put his heart in a vice and nearly killed him to say it.

She was quiet. Then, "House, I really need you to open this door. I really need to hold you right now, because if you don't let me I think it will kill me." She said quickly and held her breath as the tears began to course down her cheeks again.

He thought about it for a moment, looking at the floor, and slowly opened the door, letting her in many more ways then the physical. He may not deserve her, but she wanted him, and he was going to let her have him.

"I'm so sorry House." She ran her hands around his waist and up his back. He in turn, did the same to her. He could feel her move her hands in a comforting pattern over his back and he let himself enjoy it, let himself melt into her embrace, allowed himself to feel whatever it was that she offered him.

He realized in that moment that he was hers, as she was his.

"I love you."

Her motions stopped and she slowly pulled away to look into his face with total shock. He'd said it before. Once before the leg had been taken off and then never again. She knew that he meant it. Knew that he felt so much right now that he had to let her know.

She put her cupped her hands around his cheeks and pulled his face to her level.

"I love you, too. I'll never stop." She promised him.

He kissed her.

The bed was only ten steps away; House had counted them before.


	33. Chapter 33

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: I don't like writing wedding scenes or seeing them on tv, because, unless someone stands up the bride or somebody objects, there is no point to showing them really. They have a tendency to get really sapping and totally OC very quickly, but so many asked for a wedding, so I'll write the wedding, let me know what you think!

The wedding was perfect.

Cameron's parents had shown up. House was secretly glad of that. It would have killed Cameron not to have her father give her away. Best of all he apologized to House. Explained he still had reservations, but that he had no right to attack him the way he had.

His parents had not. He was secretly crushed at that. She knew, she seemed to know him so well. The sorrowful look she gave him made him smile at her in thanks.

Cuddy and Wilson arrived together, shocking the hell out of both House and Cameron when they kissed before Wilson took his place with House. Cameron saw them both whispering furiously in the wings of the church and wanted to know desperately what was going on.

The music started on the old church organ and House, Wilson, Foreman, and Chase took their places at the altar.

Cameron's two sisters and her best friend went down the aisle and took their places on the other side of the altar, looking beautiful in a dark blue empire waist gown with angel sleeves. The dresses went in an A-line all the way to the floor.

Cameron finally appeared in a white dress that matched the girls dresses perfectly. Her hair was done up in a Juliet fashion, soft and alluring.

House felt time stop as she neared on the arm of her father.

It went so fast that he was outside the church in what seemed like moments, holding onto his new bride. He knew there was a half hour ceremony in there somewhere but he wasn't sure what happened to it. Next thing he knew he was shaking hands with everyone who attended and was led out to a limo. They arrived at the reception and were announced and seated. House breathed again.

He looked at her, his beautiful wife, and felt everything else and everyone else melt away. Nothing else mattered. He watched as she turned to him and gave him a smile she reserved for him, and only him. He would do anything for this woman, anything she wanted. He would still be an ass, but she would still get anything she wanted from him.


	34. Chapter 34

Cuddy was in a hurry. She was always in a hurry. She had her phone under her chin talking with a member of the board about why she couldn't approve his sabbatical two days before Christmas; a hot coffee in her cup holder, a stack of files she riffled through at red lights and to top it off it was starting to sleet. The meeting was in ten minutes and she was at least 20 minutes away in this traffic.

Finally, the light in front of her turned green and she went. It happened so fast. She was halfway through the intersection when the Mack truck coming through from the other side slid through the intersection instead of stopping. Before Lisa knew it, the phone flew out of her hand and went toward the backseat. Her whole car skidded sideways along with the truck. It hit the curb and flipped, coffee flew everywhere and splashed her face and neck burning her. Soggy files tossed all about. Over and over the car went until it landed on its side in the ditch beside the road.

She could hear people yelling and hear people say the ambulance was coming. The last thought she had was, "I'm glad William wasn't in the car."

Blissful darkness overcame her and Lisa stopped breathing.


	35. Chapter 35

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: I wanted to see how everybody took it before I continued the way I wanted, most of you seem to be on board so let the story continue…
> 
> By the by, chapter 33 had the wedding in it and I think everybody missed it!

It was strange. Normally the gossip spreads in a place like Princeton-Plainsboro like a wildfire, flames licking at a steady speed over uneven terrain. Today it seemed to spread very slowly.

Cuddy was taken by ambulance to her hospital, and the EMTs did recognize her right off. They in turn told the ER staff, but then the EMTs were forced to leave right away on another call, so they didn't loiter around, talking to the other nurses. The only ones that knew that Cuddy was unconscious and dying in the ER were the two doctors and four nurses at her disposal, and they were busy, very busy.

They got her stabilized and then they sent her immediately to the OR after a surgeon came down for a consult. That surgeon took her up with him and the nurses and doctors went on to other patients. One of the nurses tried to find her next of kin. Her parents weren't home. She tried again. Still no answer. She sighed and remarked to the nurse behind the desk what a shame it was, and that is when House overheard enough of a conversation to realize something was wrong with Cuddy. He was signing into his clinic duty, an hour late, and had come by at just the right time. After getting enough information, he paged Wilson with a 911 to the OR and he ran as fast as he could to the elevators, calling Cameron on the way. By the time House made it upstairs, all the ducklings and Wilson stood there. Cameron knew what was up but hadn't had time to explain anything, and preferred to have House break it to his friend. No one in that room would know it, but two hours had passed since Cuddy had been hit on the road.

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Now they all waited. Wilson and the boys sat in the waiting room while House and Cameron sat in the operating theater. They waited for any sign of news, while her parents rushed to Princeton-Plainsboro with a baby in tow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Ok here's the deal, How many of you want me to just kill her off? I personally have no problem with it. And I know many of you have asked, What about Wilson? Well, if I write him in character, which is the way I would prefer to do it, He would fall in love with Cuddy, cheat on her, tell her about it and then they would divorce. I don't find that very fulfilling as a storyline, unless Cuddy breaks the pattern by forgiving him, and as strong as she is I don't see that happening. Plus, this is House/cam not Wilson/cuddy, so I am much more interested in developing House/cams relationship. But if all of you want to see her live, I'll think up something. (AN posted four years ago, but feel free to comment still!)


	36. Chapter 36

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN- Sorry guys! I had this halfway done when my computer had an error and turned everything off on me! Then I searched for a temp file to no avail – it was gone! So I couldn't write for a while, the momentum was gone. But I'm better now!
> 
> One person asked that I update what the last thirty or so chappies covered, and I'll do it this time, but I don't think I'll do it every time, I just don't have the time to go back and reread everything I wrote to give a synopsis, every chapter. I had given one in my deleted chapter, and I had reread them, but it's been awhile now, so here goes nothing…
> 
> House gives Cameron his house keys. They both sulk awhile and then Cameron winds up there and they sleep together. A relationship forms out of that. Well, things were too happy so in walks Lisa, have my baby, Cuddy. Cameron is not happy with this development and considers leaving this one-sided romance till she discovers it's not so one-sided. Cameron losses a baby she didn't know she was carrying. House is wonderful about it. Cameron and House buy a House. Baby William is born. House has a major problem with the leg, and has it amputated. Almost a year of self pity and blaming go on and House realizes he doesn't want to lose either Cameron or Wilson. He asks Cameron to marry him. Pre-wedding fun. Wedding. Cuddy is hanging on the edge…will she or won't she…. you'll have to read to find out!

Wilson sat in her room with William in his lap. The room was overflowing with equipment, crammed in all around the front of her bed. Wilson could squeeze his chair no closer then her right knee. He was even to far back to reach for her hand, in doing so; he would crush the baby, sleeping in his arms.

William was no longer a baby anymore, really. He had had his first birthday and was on his way to fifteen months. Wilson kissed the child on the forehead and snuggled him closer as he watched his mother.

Lisa was in a coma. She lay flat on her back, her breaths coming in and out with the aid of a respirator. The large apparatus attached to her mouth and nose stood up from her face, the tubes snaking out around her head. The clear blue color seemed to wash out her already pale face against even whiter sheets. A deep red welt that appeared like a Rorschach splashed across her left cheek. Second degree burns from the coffee she was drinking when the truck crushed her car. Heart monitors, respiratory, pulse-ox, every monitor one could think of beeped around him incessantly. Wilson wondered if a person in a coma could be driven insane by the rhythmic beeps that persisted day and night.

Outside in the hallway, the rest of the friends and family waited. Wilson resented them for waiting. Putting them in the category of waiting for her to die. Lisa was young and beautiful and was a force of nature. Those people didn't die. She had a son to raise and a relationship with him to pursue, those people didn't die. He watched as her numbers slowly, as the minutes ticked by, became worse, as her face became paler, as the chances got slimmer, and he realized that he too was waiting, because she wasn't going to get any better.

As a cancer doctor, he had seen many people beat the odds. He also knew when the disease was going to win.

"Lisa, I want you to know that I really enjoyed you as a friend, and more recently – as more than that." He paused adjusting William in his arms as his left hand started to go numb. "I, uhhh, I don't know what it would have turned into, but I was looking forward to finding out." He finally got William settled where he wanted him and focused everything on her. "Your parents are outside and they are going to take care of William so you don't have to worry about him." Wilson paused. He had loved her as a friend but he wasn't in love with her. The sparks didn't fly as they had with House and Cameron. Hell, the sparks hadn't flown with any of his wives the way that they did between those two. "I'll miss you Lisa. I'll miss not knowing what would happen." He rose, not knowing what more to say, if there was anything more to say.

He went into the hallway and down the hall to the waiting room. The place was packed with Lisa's friends and family. He handed off William to Lisa's father and walked over to Cameron, who was leaning against the other doorframe, across the room.

"Where's House?" He asked.

"In his office" she answered.

He headed up there and sat in House's guest chair facing the desk. House sat in his chair playing Donkey Kong. He sat the game down and folded his hands.

"Is she still alive?"

Wilson winced a bit at his friend's pointed question but nodded. "She's hanging in there, but not for long." He said sadly.

"Wow, you really dodged a bullet there, huh" House threw back the words Wilson had used on him almost two years previous.

Wilson saw red and grew indignant. "Excuse Me?!"

"You heard what I said." He leaned back in his chair and put up his legs on the desk. "And stop with your righteous anger. The family might buy it but I'm not gonna."

Wilson shook his head. "You are really unbelievable, you know that?" He sprung up from his seat to leave and was stopped but House's cane to his chest. Wilson looked at the cane with some surprise. House hardly ever used it anymore.

"Stop right there. Sit down." House glared at him. Wilson glared right back but sighed and lowed himself back into his seat. "Let's not go down the wounded lover path, ok? We both know it wasn't that serious with Cuddy. We both know it wasn't that serious with anybody you were ever with." House pulled his cane to his side and started to twirl it with his hand.

Wilson focused on the twirling cane, as if mesmerized. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"You know what Jimmy? After all these years of you giving me advice about relationships, and moral dilemmas I'm starting to see that your even more broken than I am. I –" he emphasized the 'I' by pointing with his free hand at himself. "Have never cheated on anybody I've remotely cared about. I've never cheated." He set the cane down across the desk. "You however, not only spit out the word love every five minutes like you're trying to prove something, but cheat before they can get the white dress off."

Wilson sat in silence, wanting to get pissed off, wanting to deny it, but found he couldn't.

Just then the phone rang and House answered it. James was oblivious to the phone call trying to work out his problems while House prattled on to whomever was on the other end. Could House be right? As much as he preached to House about opening up and letting somebody in, maybe he had the opposite problem, way to willing to let someone in. House hung up the phone, startling Wilson out of his thoughts.

"You better get the grieving husband routine going again, cause seems the wicked witch is dead." House said with bitterness.

"Why are you so-" Wilson fumbled around for words. "YOU today!?" He finally spit out.

"I am being ME today because I actually loved Cuddy. I loved her like a sister. She was always on my side, always willing to put up with my shit, and because she –" He trailed off then, not knowing how to part with the secret Cameron, Cuddy and he had kept for over two years.

"She what? Wilson demanded.

"Never mind! My point is that I actually felt something for her and now she's dead, gone. She'll never snark again at me and I'll actually miss her a lot. You on the other hand are going to play it up, just like you did during all your divorces."

"This is different, the woman is dead." Wilson started but was interrupted by House.

"You're right, this is different! You should grow up!"

Wilson left the room, nearly knocking over Cameron in his haste to get away from House. Cameron came into the room staring back at the disheveled doctor, who ran for the stairs. She walked up to House's desk and leaned a hip to it, facing him. "You do have a way with people." 

Cameron was surprised when she was left a second later in an empty room.

"Huh." She said and followed the limping doctor down the hall. He had a good couple of minutes on her, he was running and she simply strolled after him, letting him get whatever it was out of his system.

She finally caught up to him in the men's changing rooms. Her first clue was the several smashed in lockers at the entrance to the room. She heard water running and saw a broken sink, water leaking onto the floor and into the drain on the floor. She turned a corner and saw legs sticking out from under a changing room door.

She stood on the outside and pushed gently on the door. He was sitting calmly on the floor breathing hard.

"Come on. It's been a shitty day. Let's go home." She held her hand out to him and he, after a moment of looking at it, reached out with a bloody hand and grabbed on. She helped him to his feet and looked at his hand.

"Let's stop by the clinic first and look at that hand." She said calmly as he simply nodded at her. "When we get home, I can run a hot bath, we can eat some Chinese and go to bed. The next couple of days will be long, hard ones." Cameron said as she reached out a hand to smooth his hair down. Again he nodded and followed her to the clinic, hand in hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note – SO many of you wanted the poor woman dead! Geez! Around nine of you, if I counted right, and about an equal number who didn't care one way or another so I decided to finish what I'd started. She gone. That's it! The two people who wanted Foreman dead surprised me! Geez, I didn't even ask about him! LOL! He drives me nuts too, that whole thing with the article, I would knocked him flat. They have hundreds of cases a year, I'm sure he could have found something to write about, that wasn't Cam's. Plus his attitude, aaarrgggghhh! Anyway, I'm not writing a death scene yet but I'll come up with something to make his day go very badly. I did set his pants on fire awhile back if you all recall. LOL.
> 
> Anyway, my original plot was to somehow give the baby to House and Cameron. I have since nixed the idea, because so many of you figured out my devious plan. I haven't necessarily given up on it, just put it on the back burner to flame up later. I agree that Cameron having to put up with the care of a baby that isn't hers when she has so many problems isn't fair or right. House and her have enough issues to deal with.
> 
> One last thing, I used this as a way to get Wilson to grow up. He gives all this advice but his own House of Cards (hehe) is constantly coming down. His brother is homeless, and his best friend is House, and he can't have a relationship without it involving cheating or it being morally wrong (Cancer girl, House vs. God). He has some serious flaws. Actually I really like Cuddy in the show, and I wouldn't want my dog to become involved with Wilson. He has a good front but there is only a front and nothing beneath it. So, this is a character developing thing, hopefully Wilson will learn what real love is and not this sudo-love/need thing he has going.
> 
> AN: 2015 - Weirdly by the show having Wilson fall for Amber and having her die, they pretty much did what I was trying to do, although they didn't take the initiative to change Wilson much in the wake of that, instead letting Wilson get pissed off at House like a child for months, I don't know what that accomplished.


	37. Chapter 37

Cameron stood at the gravesite alongside her husband as the rain came pouring out of the heavens. 'Funny!' She thought. 'It's always raining whenever I have to do something I don't want to.' It was pouring the day her husband died, it poured the day that Cuddy told her and House her plan for getting pregnant, and it always poured whenever she went grocery shopping. She of course was dressed for the weather, with a hat, coat, wide umbrella, and low heels that would not sink too deeply in the mud. Her husband on the other hand, shunned her umbrella, scoffing that it was not raining that hard. He wore his usual outfit of jeans, band shirt and button down. No hat, no coat and sneakers that slid easily in the mud and wet grass. The only concession he made for the weather was his cane, which he used to gain purchase on the slippery slopes and hills that made up the cemetery.

She watched as the rain drenched him, as his stubbornness rewarded him in getting soaked, the droplets running over his hair and face, dripping off his nose. She would have giggled at the ridiculous sight he made, shivering in the deluge that threatened the whole funeral party, if not for the solemnity of the occasion.

She felt a shadow come near and envelope her from behind. She did not approve of how House had treated him, but knew that there were two people you didn't get in between, him and House. She felt the sudden spray on her legs as he closed his umbrella and stole close, sharing her large umbrella. A hand planted itself on her shoulder and closed slightly, attempting to give comfort. She glanced back at him and was shocked at his appearance. His hair was combed, the face shaved, the clothing pressed and matching. She looked back at the graveyard, now empty of grievers save the three of them. The few who had hung around had scattered at the cloudburst that erupted a few minutes ago. Wilson had maintained that he had loved Lisa and that he had even thought of deepening the relationship. At the moment, after what should be a devastating event, he looked fine. She became uneasy, perhaps House was right after all.

"I didn't see you in the crowd, where were you?" She asked, causing House to stiffen up beside her. She glanced at him meeting his eyes. House shook his head slightly and rocked his cane about, waiting for Wilson's answer.

"I had a patient. I just got here." He explained to Cameron.

"I'll be in the car." House huffed and slowly made his way down the steep hillside. Cameron watched him out of concern till he made it to the car, and then she turned to face Wilson. To anybody watching they would have the appearance of two lovers sharing their umbrella.

"Nice to see that House is still angry at me. I wonder how long this tantrum is going to l-" It was as far as he got before Cameron stopped him with a hand in the air.

"Stop!"

Wilson stopped and looked at her. She held the umbrella handle closer to her body, whether to shield herself from the pounding relentless rain all about her or to deny him access to the protection the large umbrella offered she wasn't quite sure. But it worked for her either way.

"You don't look so broken up about this. I'm starting to think that House has handled this the right way."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about the fact that you claim to have had a patient, an unexpected patient and you are perfectly groomed and rested, not a hair out of place, despite the weather! That's what I'm talking about." She turned to stalk off leaving him in the rain, not caring that he had to scramble to raise up his umbrella to ward off the drops that threatened his perfect appearance.

She got into the car and drove off with a bewildered House to their house.

They rode mostly in silence until House was startled by a loud shriek created by Cameron, who simply couldn't take it anymore and yelled at the top of her lungs.

"AAAAAAAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHH!"

House was so startled that he forgot to breathe. Once he could force air back into his lungs he asked her, "Feel better?"

"He drives me nuts!"

House smirked and simply placed a hand on her knee. "I told you so!"

She shook her head out of frustration and inclined her head his way. "How are you?"

He sighed and removed his hand covering his face with it for a second. "I could be better."

Cameron looked back at the road and grew silent again. Nothing more needed to be said.

MDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMD

They curled up in front of the fireplace, enjoying the heat of the flames. House had changed into his robe and Cameron into her nightwear of a short-sleeved shirt and pajama pants. They each had a beer in their hands. It was Cameron's first and House's third. She watched unobtrusively as he fiddled with his fake leg. She knew he wanted to take it off, but that then he wouldn't want to put it back on later to get up and go to bed. She sighed and snuggled closer to him and he stopped messing with the strap and curled his arm around her and took another drink of his beer. Cameron laid her now warm beer on the floor next to them.

"Long day." She broke the comfortable silence.

"Yep." Was all he said as he swallowed the last of his beer and threw it in the vicinity of the trashcan. Cameron smiled in relief as she heard glass hit metal. Glass hitting hard wood meant that she would be cleaning up.

"You've got your sports club meeting tomorrow. You gonna go?" She inquired, looking up at him.

"Yep." He looked down at her.

"What was it, basketball, right? This week it's basketball." Cameron decided.

"Yep." Now she rolled her eyes earning her a smirk from him.

"Is 'yep' all you're gonna say?"

"Yep."

She blinked at the stupidity of the conversation and started to laugh. A full belly laugh that started low and escalated into full-blown guffaws. Too late she realized how close to crying laughing truly is, because her laughter soon turned into uncontrollable sobs, shaking her whole body. House looked at her concerned, rubbing her back and trying to help her to calm down.

"I hated her! God!" She finally managed. "There was always this unspoken thing between the two of you, and I always felt that I couldn't compete with her. And I know you've told me that she is like a sister to you, but that is now. You don't sleep with your sister! And then all this crap with a child, which gives you a bond till the end of time, and all this crap with Wilson!" She stopped her ranting long enough to pull away and wipe her eyes, she noticed the hurt look on House's face but had to continue, had to get it out of her system. "You know what I felt, House? I felt relief! I felt glad! And then I felt guilty, so guilty for the way I was feeling, because no matter how I felt about her, you cared about her, and it was wrong of me to feel this way." She hiccuped and sat back facing him, her crying under control. House said nothing, but the hurt look was gone for now.

"It seems like all of our lives will fall apart because of this. Like in a weird way she was the glue that held everything in place. I don't know what we will all do now." She stopped talking and just stared.

House stared back. What would all of them do without her?

MDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMD

After running up and down the court for two hours, he was exhausted, but felt better.

Allison was in the stands this weekend. House took his place on the court next to the field the next morning. John wheezed heavily as he explained who was going to play each position and how they were going to rotate. He pulled out his inhaler while speaking and shook it smartly and then raised it to his mouth, breathing in the medication. And then they were playing. House thought he did fairly well, even though he put his weight on his leg wrong a couple times and fell to the ground. Nobody said anything, just whoever was closest would offer an arm and not make a big deal about it.

There were moments of hilarity, when the kid with no arm, Ryan, offered his fake to House to help him up. Another time when the arm flew off and they passed him the ball before he could grab the arm and replace it onto his shoulder. House had come to realize that Ryan was one of those people that are funny by accident.

All in all it was a good day. His team had won and they'd finally agreed to learn lacrosse. He said his goodbyes and met Cameron on the sidelines on his way to the car.

"Really they are a bunch of great guys." Cameron observed as she looked over her shoulder at the retreating men.

House looked back with her for a moment. "Yeah, they are." He admitted.

She swung her head back at him and grinned. "You're welcome!"

House just shook his head a little and put his arm around her shoulder, drawing her to him.

MDMDMDMDMMDMDMDMDMD

Foreman shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He sat in the boardroom at Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital. They were waiting on one more member of the board to arrive before telling him why he was there. Since he could not recall any incident that would either warrant a disciplinary action or a commendation he was understandably put ill at ease.

The last member finally arrived and shuffled quietly to his seat with a mumbled something or other about a patient.

One of the doctors cleared his throat. Foreman had never met the man before, and he was too far away to make out the name tag. Foreman gave the man his attention and the man nodded in his direction and placed his hands on a large file in front of him. "As we all know, but I have to reiterate for this meeting for legal purposes, Lisa Cuddy has died in a car accident and because of this tragedy has left her position vacant. We will immediately begin the process of interviewing and recruiting to fill the position. However, we will need to have an interim in the meanwhile. The board thought it best that you fill the spot, Dr. Foreman, until the board selects another. You have no patients that see you, you have no practice, and you have survived under House for this long, you should be able to fill in till a replacement is found."

Every member of the board had their full attention on Foreman's shocked face.

"We know it's unprecedented, but there wasn't really anything in place should this happen. Lisa was so young; there wasn't anything wrong with her. Most people retire and have a replacement waiting and already trained. You will be at a disadvantage. You'll pretty much have to just dive in and get your feet wet. Nothing much for it really." The doctor further explained, cautioning slightly.

Foreman collected his thoughts and smiled at the doctor. "I'd be happy to help out any way I can till a replacement is found."


	38. Chapter 38

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know its gotten dark lately, and on a personal note, I find it easy to create the drama and then very hard to write myself out of it. This has been a mainly House/Cameron fic for the most part. I infused the Wilson/Cuddy part in because of two reasons. One was because it gets House and Wilson involved with House and Cameron. The other was to prove that Wilson is just as bad as House is emotionally, and just doesn't realize it.
> 
> Now I don't hate either the Cuddy or the Wilson characters on the show. I enjoy them in small doses. I have made their bad traits really stand out in my fic, and I would never expect them to ever take this slant in the show. But I never thought I would see House fake cancer, either, so maybe everyone on the show is not entirely what he or she seems to be, after all they piecemeal out background information on this show. I sometimes know more about the person standing beside me in line at the checkout then about these characters I've been watching for three years. My advice is to be open to what fic writers such as myself do write, because you never know when they will throw you a curve.

Foreman sat at his desk in Cuddy's old office like he had for the past month. To say that he was buried under paperwork would be lying; it was just stacked in very tall piles all around him. The board hadn't been kidding when they had told him he would just be thrown in, he thought he might have gotten a life jacket or an oar at least to keep him afloat, but no such luck. He couldn't complain so far, though. It was his dream job, really. He stayed in there all day, going over all the administrative duties of the interim Chief of Staff, and he got all the glory with almost no repercussions for anything that went on around him.

Lisa had been quite thorough in her planning. Everyday when he booted up her computer little electronic post-its appeared all over the screen reminding him of this or of that. He began the habit of having the secretary continue this habit every morning so that he was kept well informed. She had everything meticulously filed under headings that made sense to him so he kept her system. Her desk was neatly organized and everything easily located.

Forman decided to start taking some of the paperwork home with him to keep up better with the constant flow of incoming files.

He sighed and looked at the one short pile on his desk. House's stack. The man never filed paperwork much less handed anything to him. His hours in the clinic were lagging again and he was much less skilled in getting House to take a case. He looked at the stack next to the House stack, so tall that it was the tallest pile on his desk, of letters and printed emails of desperate people wanting the great Dr. House to look at them, their grandma, cousin, sister, daughter, next door neighbor, well, you get the gist. Determinedly, Foreman grabbed both stacks and headed for an impromptu appearance at House's office. He sighed in the elevator as the doors shut him in. These things never do go well, when House is involved.

MDMDMDMDMMDMDMDMMDMDMMD  
House sat in his chair tossing his tennis ball around when Foreman awkwardly stumbled into his office, butt first, his arms filled to the brim and papers threatening to spill out all over the floor. He desperately hurried over to the desk and plopped all of the materials he carried onto the once clean surface.

House went for his cane to sweep the offending documents onto the floor but realized, a moment too late, that he didn't have his cane with him that day. The minute he wasted on finding his cane allowed for the other two ducklings to come into the office to see what their fellow colleague was up to.

"I'll make a deal with you. No more clinic hours for you, as long as I'm interim Chief of Staff, if you go through this stack every week and find at least one patient to take on. Them you have to submit your paperwork to me at the end of the week, who you turned down, who you referred to other doctors, and who you just ignored. I don't care if you do or if they do it," he nodded his head in Cameron's and Chase's direction, "but if you make this stack go away, no clinic hours." With that he stood tall in front of House's desk and folded his arms across his chest, confidante that he'd made a solid deal.

House's eyebrow quirked up and he settled back in his chair, folding his hands over his stomach. A twisted smile lit his lips and he spoke in a condescending tone to his 'boss.' "What makes you think I'm going to do anything? You have no real authority over me."

Foreman stood speechless as he realized how right House was. He was given no real authority over anybody. His only job was to keep the paperwork from coming out of Lisa's door and choking up the hallways. He found himself caught. Torn between wanting the real job, and needing to keep the status quo so that he could hold onto his current position. His arms relaxed at his sides as he tried to come up with anything to keep his foot in the door.

House leaned forward and placed his folded hands on the desk, easing his elbows up one and then the other. Cameron and Chase stood be the door and watched what was going on. In fact, Chase sort of stood behind Cameron, whether it was for protection or some other reason we may never know. Cameron folded her arms and glared at her husband. House had no qualms with ignoring his wife. And Foreman began to sweat. House's smile got wider, looking less and less like a smile by the second.

"Eventually, you'll get bored," he started with, suddenly bringing his arms up and approaching the desk. House merely looked up at his oldest duckling as he came near. "And you'll need to answer a puzzle. Most likely that puzzle is hidden in there." He pointed to the offending stack. "And YOU don't even have to do anything. They," he pointed to the other ducklings, "will want to do something eventually, so they will probably want to do this, because if they don't have to do your lapsed clinic duty, they will be more receptive to scut work." He reasoned as he put his hands in his pockets, nervously waiting for House's reaction.

House sat back for a moment, thinking it over, and then unexpectantly called out, "Cameron, take these and sort through them." He motioned to the pile. Cameron walked up and soundlessly picked up the pile, pages floating to the earth all around her, and whisked off to her desk. Chase picked up the loose pages and followed her out to where she sorted out a stack for him and a stack for her.

"I'm only doing this because I am bored, and because I don't want clinic duty." House told him in a flat voice, deceptively calm. "But I hold all rights to change this little arrangement at any time." He cautioned him. Foreman nodded and left, he knew when to stop with House.

MDMDMDMMDMDMDMMDMD

Wilson stood in his bathroom, blow-drying his hair. He applied mouse and combed a final time through. There, every hair is in place! And then he stopped.

The comb stopped midair, and the other hand stopped somewhere between his ear and mouth. And he looked at himself and saw himself for the first time in a long time.

Broken.

He could almost see the shatters in the glass, the pieces of himself falling away, blowing away. He could see that nothing was left of himself, not really, just this hollow shell that had come to be known as Jimmy Wilson.

Shattered.

He healed people from cancer and watched them die from cancer day after day. At first, the ones he became close to, tore his heart out when they died. Leaving little bits of him crumbling in the wake of their departure. Now he gets money from House for every person he can get to say, 'Thank you!" when he tells them their family member is no more. A wall is erected, a purpose. A façade.

Crumbling.

His hand shakes as it touches his face. Boyish looks. How does that happen with all the stress that should cause lines and character to develop? His divorces, his patients, the affairs, and the death of friends and family? His brother?

Apathy.

The complete lack of feeling. The compassionate doctor was a study wall of crumbling rock, and he was more shocked by it than anybody else.

He fell to his knees and felt sick. All the feelings from so many years pounded down on him like so many droplets of rain in a summer storm. Lightning and thunder crashed behind his eyes and the floodgates opened.

He sobbed uncontrollably, on his knees, on his bathroom floor for his very lost soul.


	39. Chapter 39

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: SO the order is more House and Cameron, More Chase, Have Foreman fall on his butt, Redeem Wilson, explain baby William's absence better, and maybe squeeze in a house/cam baby in there somewhere, maybe. Wheeew! Well, I can answer the William question for those who are understandably interested and confused. House doesn't care where the baby wound up, to him it's not his kid. In my mind he's with an aunt and uncle or with Cuddy's parents, but don't worry, if the fic lasts as long as I'm hoping to make it, William will show up eventually asking all those questions nobody in their right mind wants to answer.

House sat at his piano playing whatever came to mind, and was fully into concentrating everything he had into the music. The steady beat of Cameron running on her treadmill inspired his choices, and she smiled encouragingly at what he chose. The feeling was homey and comfortable and very much what made up the make-up of their relationship. The yin and the yang, they complemented each other so well.

The domestic air was interrupted by a loud knock on the door. House continued to play, while Cameron turned off her machine and went to the door to answer it. She was only slightly surprised to see the bedraggled figure hovering in her doorstep. He had missed work that day and had been on her mind. His hair was a mess, the rain had pounded relentlessly on his usually carefully groomed locks and his clothing was rumpled and wet, indicating a good long wait in the rain. Bloodshot eyes locked with hers and she heard him ask to come in. Behind her the music stopped and a steady thumping started toward the door, startling her a bit. House so rarely used his cane anymore. He was using it more for balance than anything tonight. The leg ached from the days of rain and the cold chill that had stolen over the area with the persistent flood, so at night, he had relied on the cane to get him around the house till bedtime.

He approached the doorway slowly and leaned over her shoulder taking the door away from her. He perched his chin on her shoulder and scrutinized his friend's appearance carefully. Cameron leaned her head back and kissed House on the temple, then whispered, "Don't be up too late" into his ear. She stalked off into the bedroom to leave the two men to their business.

House finally stepped away from the door, leaving it wide open and went back to his seat at the piano. He started to play whatever came to his mind, leaving Wilson to debate crossing the threshold. Wilson eventually got his nerve up enough to walk into the house and then close the door. His hair dripped rain onto the floor, some tracks making their way down his nose and cheeks on their way down. He slowly turned, with his head down and shoved his hands into his pockets. He shuffled over to where House was sitting but still held back a bit, letting the music flow over him, giving him strength.

His pants legs clung to him and his shirt was transparent, steadily a puddle began to form on the floor beneath his squeaky shoes. Just as he began to speak, House spoke up, startling him.

"So we've agreed I'm an ass." He paused as he got to a tricky piece of the music, "and we've agreed that you're an ass." A slightly longer pause ensued as even more complicated notes were played. "We're not going to have a long drawn out thing are we? Because the crier just left the room." He continued playing, not noticing the slow smile forming on Wilson's face.

"You'd better not let Allison hear you talk about her like that." Wilson cautioned softly, his voice hoarse.

House suddenly let his hands fall on the keys, making a horrible sound as he bellowed out, "Cameron, you're a big, whinny cry-baby!"

Wilson cringed as he watched the hallway. It didn't take long. Cameron slowly padded down the hallway wearing one of House's shirts and obviously ONLY one of House's shirts and came to a stop in the doorway facing them both. She simply crossed her arms over her chest and glared furiously at House and then silently turned on her heel and went back into the bedroom.

Wilson chuckled low in his throat and muttered, "Say good-bye to sex."

House shook his head slowly with a wicked smirk on his face. "Nah," He tickled a few notes and then gave it up turning to face his friend. "That was just foreplay." At Wilson's disbelieving look, he nodded. "Yes, foreplay, she married me remember?" House heaved himself painfully off the bench and slowly made his way to the sofa, sinking down into the welcome softness. As much as he wanted to get the unfriendliness over with between him and Wilson, he wanted to get this leg off of him and rest it for the weekend more.

"Should you be limping that badly?" Wilson worried. He went to join House on the sofa, but was stopped by House.

"Beer." Wilson stopped and went back into the kitchen to retrieve the beers and grabbed a tea towel to sit on. House grabbed the beer from him and took a long pull of the cold beverage. Then he sat it down and removed his pants, leaving his boxers on. Then, he started to undo the multitude of straps and buttons and buckles holding his leg on. "Usually it gives me no trouble, but it has rained for two weeks now and the pressure is killing my leg."

Wilson slowly lowered himself onto the couch watching in shock as House removed his leg. It was one thing to be a doctor and to know that the leg wasn't there. He had visited House in the hospital and had seen the sheet that ended abruptly after his thigh, but he had never seen it like it was now. The short shriveled limb radiated pain and loss, and for the first time ever, Wilson realized that House was in PAIN. He had always known that it was painful, but he had always regarded it as a chronic irritating pain that would flare up from time to time, not what it must have been, a searing, aching PAIN that permeated his every thought and action. The things he must have had to decide what to do and not to do based on the amount of pain he was in. He felt somewhat sick at some of his dismissive attitude aimed at the leg. He had been an addict, but with good reason. He looked away towards House's face, which was focused on rubbing the ache out of his stump.

"I forget sometimes…ya, know?" Wilson started, wringing his hands and a hoarseness coming back into his soft tone. "I forget you have feelings, forget you can be hurt, forget that sometimes I shouldn't shove so hard." He looked off over his shoulder where Cam had disappeared down. "I am an ass, but I am an ass that gives everything up for his best friend, and sometimes I am not sure why I do it and other times…" He grabbed his beer and drank the rest of it. Then he looked House straight in the eye. "Other times, I am glad to have a sonofabitch like you have my back."

House blinked and then smiled and then laughed. It was good to have him back.


	40. Chapter 40

House ran through the fall leaves spread over the ground like a giant patchwork quilt. It had taken years of therapy and a running prosthetic leg, but he was now able to jog every day as he had almost seventeen years before. Life had changed dramatically in the last five years; still yet, many things had stayed remarkable the same.

Jimmy and he went to ball games, watched General Hospital and gossiped like women, as they had done forever. He even had a new girlfriend he had been seeing for almost a year. She had bright blue eyes and red curly hair, and had nothing to fix. James had told him once that losing Lisa had made him ready to be a man for Karen. House could see that this relationship might actually last. Wilson had also become the Dean of Medicine, when Foreman's interim was over, weirdly the board didn't seem to want large sums of money disappearing from the hospital. It seams that Foreman did not understand how some things were run and he misspent tens of thousands of dollars accidentally and found himself accidentally fired.

Cameron was still married to him. Sometimes he didn't know why, other times he didn't know how he had gotten so lucky. They still had no desire to have a child, although recently he'd been getting subtle hints that a discussion was coming and weirdly he felt ready, at least, to have the discussion, to actually have the kid, that was a whole other issue. She was department head now of the Immunology Department.

His breath rose in the air as he puffed and huffed over the last few yards to his house and then slowed down to cool off the hundred feet or so to the front door. He strolled a bit and then inexplicably felt the need to run to the door, he gave into the impulse and tore across the drive and burst through the door. He tried to get his breathing under control so that he could see what his head was trying to tell him, why he needed to get to the house so quickly. He looked about the room looking for anything out of place, and saw nothing so he walked slowly into the room, that same feeling of urgency a few minutes ago now making him want to dread every step. Time slowed and almost halted as he saw Cameron lying on her back in the middle of the kitchen floor, hand extended with the phone still clutched in it. He could see that the thumb of her hand rested on the nine, indicating whom she had tried to call as she fell to the hard wood floor. He stood there.

Everything in his whole life fell apart.

For once in his life he didn't know what to do and couldn't push away all of his feelings to do anything. He was a diagnostician, his life's work to see impossible situations and fix them and his own wife lay on the floor, breathing or not, conscious or not, living or not, and all he could do is stand paralyzed a foot from her with a towel in one hand and a bottle of warm water in the other. He trembled and shook, and every bad thought a person could have flowed through him in an unrelenting constant way. In the distance an siren could be heard and it appeared to be getting closer.

Now he could move. The ambulance was coming for her. Her dropped to her side and assessed things. Breathing, pulse, reaction to pain, and reflexes. He found out that she was alive, and his heart surged with hope. He wanted to sit on the floor and weep, but at that moment the EMTs came through the door he had forgotten to close. They asked questions and loaded her up on the stretcher and packed her away in the ambulance, with House trailing along behind, feeling out of place and unwanted. Maybe he just felt out of it. In the ambulance with the sirens wailing he called Wilson on his cell and was assured that his friend would be there to welcome him.

Too soon the ride was over and they unloaded her from the ambulance and wheeled her into the ER, they shouted commands and instructions as the nurses moved her over to a bed so the EMTs could have their stretcher back. House heard nothing of it, all he saw the whole time was her pale face, his whole life laying in front of him slipping away.

He felt Wilson come up behind him and lead him away. He let him, shocked himself that he allowed it, but realized with an internal laugh that he was probably in shock. Wilson was concerned over his friends, but especially over House whose only words had been over the phone, "Ally's going to the ER." As Wilson had been able to hear the siren and hear the devastated tone of his friends voice as a man barely holding together, he replied, "I'm on my way." End of call, and now he had said nothing, and stared out at nothing almost as though he could still see her face in front of him, a face that would haunt, Wilson had no doubt. He started as House suddenly punched the wall next to him denting the plaster. Wilson felt that x-rays would be needed, and he went towards his friend who turned away and faced the wall, but not before Wilson had seen the tears coursing down his cheeks. He put a hand on his shoulder and felt it tremble, and watched as he fell forward into the wall, sobbing with no sound coming from him, hands flat against the wall, keeping him from sliding down. Wilson had handled House over the years and many people who had been in this situation, but he had never had to help House in this situation. What was so easy to do with a stranger became so hard with a friend, especially House, who could bring everything crashing down so easily and so finally.

Slowly, House fell to his knees, closing in on himself. Wilson followed him down to the floor and wished for Cuddy or for Cameron the two people who would handle this twenty times better than himself and realized that it was going to have to be him that pulled House back together.

"Greg, she's fine, this is just a reaction. You need to calm down so that you can help her once they've got her stabilized." House started to shrink away from his hand on his shoulder that he had tolerated up until this point, and Wilson backtracked quickly. "It's going to be ok. They are working on her and she'll be fine. She was breathing on her own, her pulse was good, she's fine." Wilson hoped he wasn't lying. House moved so that he was sideways against the wall, leaning his head and body against the cool plaster and had his hands loose in his lap.

"I walked in," he started, looking down at his hands, "and I knew something was wrong, and when I saw her, I could do nothing!" His voice was soft and low as though it took a lot of effort to get the words out. Wilson let his hand squeeze House's shoulder and then rub his back in a comforting gesture, and was shocked that House allowed it. Wilson wondered if he allowed it because it was such a Cameron thing to do, to try to comfort House.

"House," Wilson paused trying to come up with the right words. "You love her, you wouldn't have not done anything on purpose. You probably got way too overwhelmed. I mean that's why family members can't work on patients, because they lose their perspective. That's all that happened, you weren't her doctor then, you were her husband. You were the one who holds her hand and worries."

House shook his head. "I couldn't even do that! I just stood there." He sighed and tried to get his crying under control, wiping his face with his t-shirt hem. "I just stood there." he whispered, ashamed of himself.

Wilson just nodded and continued to sit by his friend.

A nurse came into the room and addressed House. "She's stabile and they are going to move her to diagnostics. They thought you would want to consult on her case."

He nodded and noticed the emphasis on consult rather then attend. He knew he was in no shape to be her doctor. Chase was in the ICU; he was next up for Department Head there. He would call Chase in to be her doctor and the team plus Chase and Wilson should be able to come up with something. He could consult, he could hold her hand, and he could love her beyond all reason and he was ok with that. He didn't need the puzzle solved so that he could feel better, this time he needed the puzzle solved so that she would be ok. That's what he needed.


	41. Chapter 41

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N – I am not medically gifted in any way so I apologize in advance for writing around medical topics, you may have noticed a lack of Chase and Forman, because I have no idea how to go about writing a DandD. Same here, I'm kinda skipping it on purpose. Sorry for the shock value of the current story line, but it wouldn't be any fun if you knew what was coming, would it? I simply got this idea in my head and had to see it through because it was the only way I could sleep at night, now on with the show!

She opened her eyes slowly and blinked, noticing that she was in Diagnostics and that House sat on her left, on a cot that had been placed close to her bed. She groaned a little and settled a little more carefully on the pillows and he got up, and approached her side. Slowly he rose a clipboard up with his left hand, that had been dangling at his side, in front up him and showed it too her. She squinted, out of confusion and because she didn't have her reading glasses.

"I have here, a document, that you must sign."

"What is it? Is it permission for a procedure or something?"

"Nope." He glanced at it himself and pulled out a pen, balancing himself seated at the edge of her bed. "It states that, I Allison House, M.D., solemnly swear that I will never do this to Gregory House, M.D. ever again, and that you will let the aforementioned person die first. You simply sign here and here and initial here and all will be in order." He pointed out the lines to her disbelieving eyes and thrust a pen at her waiting expectantly for her to follow through. A beat went by and then she took the pen, sighed and started to write as well as to sign and then placed her own lines on the paper.

"I have signed the paper, but have amended that we get to die together. Sign here and here." She handed back the paper and pen tiredly and with a smirk. House gave her an approving look and signed slowly. He folded up the paper and reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet, and placed it in there.

"House…" He looked up and met her eyes.

"You scared the crap out of me." He said hauntingly, slowly. "You don't know how much I berated myself for not seeing the signs, not noticing you enough, not paying enough attention to you. When I came home and you were on the floor, I couldn't move. I couldn't even function. You have to understand that you cannot fall to the floor dead in front of me, ever again. A faint, paralysis, car crash, nothing ever again. Ok?"

She raised her hand to his face and cupped his whiskered cheek. He leaned into the touch and his bloodshot eyes began to leak. He closed his eyes, leaned forward and pressed his forehead against hers. Her other hand came up to cup the other side of his face and she stretched up to kiss his lips. His eyes opened. She brushed his tears aside with her thumbs and weakly dropped her hands back on the covers.

"So what do I have?" Her voice was thick with emotion.

"That's an interesting story." He sniffled and moved away from her slightly, wiping away what she had missed and calming himself down. "You'll never guess what." He said challenging her.

"How long did it take you?" She crossed her arms and looked at him knowingly.

He dropped his hands and looked away, the joke gone. "I- I didn't work on you. Wilson had to sedate me." He looked back at her face, which was now showing understanding. Her hand reached out to him and started to fall when it didn't quite reach far enough, he grabbed her hand at the last second. "Chase was your doctor." The air was heavy between them. Cameron knew what it had cost him to ask Chase, but also knew that Chase was his best bet. "He figured it out in seven hours."

"It wasn't that difficult?"

"No, just we overlooked things, both of us did, me and you."

"Like?"

"Well, your miscarriages were a good clue, healthy women don't just miscarry like crazy for no reason."

"OK."

"Then there was how tired you were lately and that fever you've been having. It was so low we didn't pay much attention to it. I figured it was a cold or something."

"So did I."

"You passed out because of pericarditis, which was causing your heart to fail. The pain made you call 911 and then you passed out from a lack of blood flow."

She went white and he continued on. "And your hands have been bothering you, your acting like an arthritic."

Her head came up and her eyes got wide. She cocked her head to the side and shook it slightly. "Your not saying what I think your saying…"

"And then there was this." He swiftly brought a hand mirror from the bedside table and put it in front of her watching as she noted the telltale sign of a butterfly rash across the bridge of her nose and starting to go down her cheeks.

"Lupus."

"Yes."

"But...But It's never lupus!"

"Everybody Lies."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2015 - Weirdly, again, I gave Cameron the Immunologist Lupus and the show gave the Oncologist Cancer..


	42. Chapter 42

Cameron was bored.

She sighed and looked around her house from the vantage point of the couch as she had been doing for the past two weeks and sighed again. Around her was scattered all of the necessities she would need since House wasn't letting her up anytime soon. He had been so attentive, catering to her every whim; anything she wanted was in her hand within seconds. He was loving and gentle and it was getting on her nerves.

Cameron couldn't believe it but at times during her courtship and marriage of House she had wanted this man that sat before her at the piano to appear every once in a while. A man that thought before speaking, a man who tried his best not to hurt her, a man that was attentive, but this man scared her. He did it out of fear not love and he was boring besides.

The sound of pills rattling around drew her attention and she watched him get up and get a glass of water to take his medication. It was a sight she was unaccustomed to after years of House not needing any pills. When he had said that Wilson needed to sedate him she hadn't realized exactly what he'd meant, but now she realized that she'd broken him.

She had been released from the hospital a week after she'd been admitted with her new drugs, and a drained heart sac. They weren't sure it was a good idea until the meds were completely straightened out but, she was a doctor, her husband was a doctor, his best friend that was going to be staying with them was a doctor and his girlfriend was a physical therapist. It was decided that she might even be in better hands at home.

They made a motley crew, coming up the walk to the house, now her prison, James in the lead, with several carryons dangling from his shoulders and the keys in his hand, she followed him slowly, holding a pillow to her chest, and Karen and House followed carrying various well wishing packages people had left for her.

Cameron discovered that trying to get up a stoop as tired as she was without any way to see said stoop was a bad idea. James opened the front door and placed the carryon luggage inside where no one would trip over it and then turned to help her in, but she thought she was just going to follow him in and tried to get the stoop by herself, she missed the step, overbalanced and pitched forward dangerously. She gripped her pillow more tightly, which did nothing to help her stop falling and was caught by strong hands under her shoulders and hauled upward by James. The pain was strong and she was weak and spots waltzed about her vision for a minute. James picked her up under the shoulders and knees and brought her into the house quickly. She heard him say loudly to Karen behind him, "Try to talk him down, I'll be right out." He placed her carefully onto the couch and rushed out the door. Minutes went by and her pain and breathing eased and she wondered what was wrong with House.

He finally came into view with a concerned Wilson dragging him into the door. His color was ashen and he was breathing very hard and shaking. Wilson got him to the couch and sat him next to Cameron. He sank down to House's level and talked very softly to him.

"See, she's fine, just had a little trouble with the step. Deep breaths. In and out." House's eyes were closed and Cameron reached for his hand, squeezing it. He didn't acknowledge the hand but his breathing became easier.

Wilson turned to her questioning eyes with sorrowful ones, "Panic attack." He said simply and then turned all his attention to House. She let go of his hand and sat so that she could comfortably reach him, and laid her palm against his cheek, he pressed into that, and opened his eyes to watch her.

When he was under control again, Wilson got up from his uncomfortable position on the floor and went to get her a glass of water and her pills. Cameron was left knowing that she'd broken him.

Two weeks later and the attacks continued. Anything could set him off, including one time when she'd fallen asleep while he was talking to her. He had been talking to her while she was laying down on the couch and he got up to check on something two minutes later he came back to find her asleep. The weird lighting in the room at the time made him panic and he came forward to feel her pulse, the panic didn't fade and instead got worse as he fumbled for her hand hidden under blankets. The jostling woke her up in time to see a full-blown panic attack inches from her face. Calming him down seemed to take forever.

For the first time since meeting House, getting married, and living with the son-of-a-bitch, she wanted out. She wanted out of this body, out of this life, out of this prison she'd found herself trapped in. She started to cry and a wail came up out of her chest. Too late she realized House would hear her and she quickly slapped her hand over her mouth to cover the wrenching sobs, that only got worse as she knew how much worse House would feel if he knew what she was thinking. She cried so long and so hard that she became weak and exhausted, barely sitting upright, and that's when Wilson walked in on her.

He came into the room and glanced in her direction and came to a complete stop. He stared at her, in total silence, watching the red face with tears streaming down in buckets, and the hand clasped tightly to her mouth, that actually moved in and out as she sucked in air to fuel her wails. Cameron slowly got herself under control, and was able to lower her hand to her lap. Silent tears continued to track their way down her face as she leaned her head on the couch, defeated. Wilson left the room without saying a word and went to find House. He found him in the bedroom, sitting on the bed staring at the wall.

"What just happened?" Wilson asked slowly.

After a moment House answered him. "I needed my pills, I was feeling anxious, so I came in here to calm down." He said breathing slowly in and out.

"You didn't say or do anything to Allison?"

House looked up in alarm, and Wilson realized that he might have phrased that piece of information wrong to his overanxious friend. "What's wrong with her."

"Nothing House, she's fine." Wilson sat down next to him and put a soothing hand on his arm. Wilson absentmindedly rubbed House's arm, while he puzzled out why Allison looked so upset. He went over the past day and the past few weeks. After a few minutes he thought he knew the answer.

"Have you been making any comments toward Allison, lately?" He asked.

"What do you mean?"

"You know, comment on her breasts, make fun of her disease, call her lobby art?" Wilson gestured with his free hand to indicate that the list could go on.

"I'll have you know that I have been nothing but nice and kind to her the past few weeks."

"So, you haven't slapped her on the ass, grabbed her boobs, or tried to trip her or anything like that either?"

"NO!" He said indignantly, with a hurt look on his face. "What's all his about?"

"I think you should."

"-"

"I think YOU should." Wilson emphasized.

"Why?"

"She's in the living room crying her eyes out and I think that you should go out there and snark your ass off."

"So she's in there upset and I should go in there and kick her while she's down?"

"Yep."

"You've lost your mind."

"Not yet. See it took me awhile to figure this out, but dealing with cancer patients helped me to understand. You have been what I've always hoped you could be to her. Sweet, caring and nurturing; you have everything she could possibly want or need within her reach, everything except you."

"You've lost me, because I haven't gone anywhere."

"See, that's the thing, you have. Cancer patients want normal, and you are not acting normal."

A moment went by and what Wilson was saying finally sank in. "She wants me to be an ass? She wants me to be mean to her?"

"Not exactly, she wants you to be you around her. You can still be nice to her, and sweet, and caring, but disguise it with your brand of snark." Wilson thought for a moment. "And another thing, when's the last time that you two, you know." Again a hand waving gesture filled in for words.

"You know?" House was puzzled for a moment until Wilson sent him a pointed look. "Oh." He thought, tilting his head in concentration. "Before the hospital." He said sadly.

"Well, when's the last time that you made out, or watched a show snuggled up together, or even hugged her?"

"I-uh." House fumbled with the words, and gave up, helpless.

Wilson turned House to face him and put both hands on his shoulders. "She isn't going to break you know."

House took a deep breath, thankful that the meds were doing their job. "I know. I know, but it's hard to get past that image in my head where she did break."

"I know, but your making her miserable by trying to avoid hurting her, so it's not really working."

"I guess not, Dr. Phil."

"That's the spirit, go attack Cameron with it."

"Give me a minute."

"I'll be in my room."

House nodded that he understood and sat for a while trying to puzzle it all out. He never thought that he could hurt her by not being an ass, who would have ever thought that? But the more he thought about it the more it did make sense. Cameron had known him twelve years and had seen him in all sorts of states, even nice ones, but she had never seen a state where he didn't let out what was in his mind all the time. No matter how blunt he was being, he was sharing himself with her until three weeks ago, when he'd turned on the filter and strained every thought before he gave it to her. He'd taken himself away from her, and she hadn't liked it, any more than he'd liked finding her dying on the kitchen floor. He started to chuckle a little. They were a mess, the two of them. He was having panic attacks from holding himself away from her and she was upset because he was holding out on her. It was time to remedy this. He levered himself off of the bed and went into the living room. He found that she had cried herself to sleep

He made his way around the couch and without worrying about whether or not he'd wake her up he unceremoniously lifted her legs up into the air and plopped down next to her on the couch, lowering her legs across his. Her eyes popped open immediately and looked at him in confusion. He hadn't sat this close to her or touched her since the hospital.

"What are you doing?"

"Why are you crying over centrifuges?"

She blushed and looked away quickly. "I wasn't crying."

"Yes, because I wouldn't know what you look like after you've been crying." The snark was definitely back. She raised an eyebrow in his direction. He ran a hand up and down her thigh. She jerked in surprise at first and then relaxed into the feeling of him paying attention to her.

"I know I haven't been a jerk lately, and I'm sorry." He looked at her so seriously, that it took Cameron a couple of seconds to digest it enough to truly realize what he had said.

Her jaw dropped and her lower lip trembled and she began to laugh, hard, so hard that it started up her crying jag again. House simply gathered her to him, pulling her into his lap.

"It's OK, Allison, we've made a mess of things but soon we'll be back to being ourselves again." Cameron nodded against him and slowly got ahold of herself. The road was getting shorter.


End file.
